tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23025258073547017892024-02-02T15:36:35.124-06:00Live WireBrian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-75029681089810377602012-08-29T21:29:00.002-05:002018-09-02T11:05:06.801-05:002012 College Football Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I'm not quite sure why the polls are always done in a Top 25 format, because in college football it's really only the top two that matter and only about 15 that are relevant. I guess its so guys like me can incite debates with blogs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Like South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said in a preseason interview “The thing I like about baseball is every school in America has a chance to win the National Championship.” He cites Stony Brook in baseball and Butler in basketball, and I’ll add Fresno State to the list, who won the College World Series after being the last team into a field of 64 a few years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“College football, we don’t do that,” Spurrier said. “If we had the six conference champs, the six BCS conferences, and two at large teams, almost every player could say ‘well if we really, really have a great year, we could win in all.’ That’s just a suggestion to try to get more in modern times.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The four-team playoff gives two more teams a chance. Big deal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My opinion, which doesn’t count, is that the first qualifier for the four-team playoff is that you are unbeaten. You win em all, and you have a chance. Of course the problem comes when, in the rare occasion like 2009 where we had five unbeatens, Boise, TCU, Alabama, Texas and Cincinnati. Its not perfection, its progress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As is this column. And thank heaven we have football back, finally. This season I’ll be doing a weekly TD & Three, your seven best picks and strategy to win your pick em league. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">For the preview this year we’re going to take the AP Top 25 and analyze them in a unique style that will project their record (Including title and bowl games) and their projected floor/ceiling ranking. Let the debate begin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1. <b>USC – (14-0) – Ceiling 1 / Floor 5</b> – The Trojans are finally off the Reggie Bush naughty list and this is the opportunity QB Matt Barkley has been waiting for. Its BCS Title or bust this year. USC has 17 total starters returning from a 10-2 season and barring another slip up to the likes of Arizona State, USC controls their destiny, finally. The one game they have to be aware of, besides the obvious Oregon, is @Washington, which is a team that could see a ranking by year end. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />2. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Alabama – (11-2) – Ceiling 3 / Floor 10</b> – Could Alabama win another title this year. Sure they could, anyone in the SEC could. Alabama returns QB AJ McCarron, yes, but the reality is The Tide were a mediocre 69th in passing offense last year. Their strength is defense and ball control and they lose 1500+ rushing yards and their second-leading receiver with the departure of Trent Richardson, not to mention nine regulars on defense. Their swing games are Michigan, @Arkansas, @Mizzou, @LSU , and I think they lose two of those. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3. <b>LSU – (12-2) – Ceiling 2 / Floor 12</b> - I see LSU taking a step back. Although their lines are stout, lost is Tyrann Mathieu and his defensive production and special teams game changing. There will be title buzz for the first couple months as their season doesn’t really intensify until Oct 6 @Florida and that four-week stretch will test them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">4. <b>Oklahoma (12-1) – Ceiling 1 / Floor 5</b> – Oklahoma shouldn’t lose more than one game and they better hope that one game is the BCS title, because if they stumble in the regular season, they risk a one-loss SEC team getting voted ahead of them. But I see Landry Jones sweeping his team through the regular season and the lack of a Big XII title game may benefit them, a la Ohio State a few years back. They return 17 starters from a team that was Top 50 in rushing, 31st in scoring D, 10<sup>th</sup> in scoring and 5<sup>th</sup> in passing. The Big XII is deep, but I don’t see Kansas State, Okie State or even West Virginia, not to mention an overrated Texas team, having the stones to better the Sooners. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">5. <b>Oregon (12-2) Ceiling 5 / Floor 8</b> – To me, it’s very clear how the Ducks season is going to go down. Their schedule is pretty weak, other than the inevitable track meet against Washington on Oct. 6. Otherwise its simple, they lose twice to USC and win their bowl game. Thus with two losses, they won’t crack the top 4, but won’t be any lower than 8. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">6. <b>Georgia (11-3) Ceiling 1/Floor 15</b> – Georgia is a complete wild card at the No. 6 spot. How lucky they got to be in the SEC and not play Alabama, Arkansas or LSU until the potential SEC title game, which is why I give them a No 1 ceiling. Their tests are @Mizzou, @South Carolina and Florida. They are the one SEC team that you could argue that even if they run the table, you would take an unbeaten Oklahoma over them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">7. <b>Florida State (13-1) Ceiling 1 / Floor 10</b> – Here we go again with Florida State getting pre-season love. This year I think will be different. In years past I have been correctly critical of their preseason hype. This year I think they deserve it more. Unfortunately for the Seminoles, the ACC isn’t a strong enough conference for any team to withstand one regular season loss and still get into the BCS title. I think FSU loses a regular season game and all hopes are dashed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0in;">8.</span><span style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="text-indent: 0in;">Michigan (12-2) Ceiling 5/Floor 13</b></span><span style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0in;"> – I applaud Michigan for having the stripes to schedule Alabama right out of the gate and I am in the minority thinking they might actually win that game. However Michigan is still prone to let down (see Iowa 2011). I think they win the Big Ten but drop one to either Michigan State, @Nebraska or @Ohio State.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">9. <b>South Carolina – (9-4) Ceiling 10/Floor Unranked</b> – Despite Spurrier’s common sense approach to the playoff system, his team No. 9 South Carolina is way over rated. With Georgia, @LSU, @Florida back-to-back-to-back then Arkansas and @Clemson, I’m hard pressed to see how the Cocks win double digits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">10. <b>Arkansas – (11-2) Ceiling 4 / Floor 16</b> – Returning QB Tyler Wilson to an offense that was 13<sup>th</sup> in passing and 15<sup>th</sup> in scoring is a step in the right direction for the Hogs. They get both Alabama and LSU at home but they probably lose at least one of those games, and if they do, they don’t make the SEC championship, considering the three are in the same division. They win them both then they are in the BCS title game vs. USC. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">11. <b>West Virginia – (11-2) Ceiling 7 / Floor 23</b> – Welcome to the Big XII, West Virginia! Their transition to the new conference adds depth to a conference sans title game. On the surface WVU plays five teams in the preseason Top 25. I don’t expect three of those teams to be ranked by year end. With the passing proficiency the Mountaineers have, they should fit right in, but that will also be a challenge for a defense that was 61<sup>st</sup> last year. I might be more optimistic than I should be about these guys. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">12.<b>Wisconsin – (9-4) Ceiling 15 / Floor 25</b> – Wisconsin returns Heisman hopeful Monte Ball, but little else. Just 10 starters returning from a team that was two hail Mary’s from a perfect regular season, the Badgers missed their chance last season. They will make the conference championship game by default (Ohio State and Penn State ineligible) but they won’t win. Either Nebraska or Michigan will beat them there. Reputation alone has them No. 12. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">13. <b>Michigan State – (8-5) Ceiling 20 / Floor Unranked</b> – Unranked is most likely for the Spartans this year. The defense is the specialty of this team, but last year’s 11-3 was a bit of luck. Three point wins over Georgia and Ohio State and a miracle against Wisconsin or this team is 7-6 last year, and this year’s squad isn’t as good offensively. Schedule includes Boise, Notre Dame and OSU then @Michigan, @Wisconsin, Nebraska all in a row. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">14. <b>Clemson – (11-2) Ceiling 5 / Floor 17</b> – This is perhaps a bit low for Clemson. We will see how they rebound from the Orange Bowl thumping from West Virginia, but if Clemson comes out and stomps Auburn and carries momentum to Florida State they could easily win the ACC. But alas, I think FSU is too good this year. Tajh Boyd is the key. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">15. <b>Texas – (8-5) Ceiling 22 / Floor Unranked</b> – This is a joke. Texas isn’t good. They lost 3 of 4 to close the regular season last year and this year they could lose three straight in late September/early October and then likely @KSU to close. McCoy to Shipley isn’t Colt to Jordan … if only. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">16. <b>Virginia Tech - (11-3) Ceiling 8 / Floor 16</b> – The ACC is top loaded. Clemson, FSU, Va Tech </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">and everyone else. Va Tech may not be a premier team, but they may be unbeaten until the Oct 20 match-up at Clemson and by then may be a top 10 team. Two of their projected three losses could be to Florida State. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEExa_I3-3svRZVxi9pTgCMkUYOlY2Z-asyMieaAoAgzYcoeVQyobNnqX7mvw1jeu8sZ7IIf1Ub5JAHawIsyrlNIsKFrZbKxBPLXbbUJEuvHoENs0g9npfnF78VtYGqLRG6tNTcKhXTw/s1600/nebraska-huskers-college-theme-icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEExa_I3-3svRZVxi9pTgCMkUYOlY2Z-asyMieaAoAgzYcoeVQyobNnqX7mvw1jeu8sZ7IIf1Ub5JAHawIsyrlNIsKFrZbKxBPLXbbUJEuvHoENs0g9npfnF78VtYGqLRG6tNTcKhXTw/s1600/nebraska-huskers-college-theme-icon.png" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">17. <b>Nebraska – (10-3) – Ceiling 10 / Floor 22</b> – The Huskers could be the spoiler of the Big Ten. They could get live up to the projection some have of a Fiesta Bowl bid. I’m a bit more skeptical. Until Nebraska proves it won’t overlook games like Northwestern last year, and they can win on the road, I’ll temper. Nebraska is probably the third best team in the conference, but the stretch of five games, three on the road in the heart of the season will be a true test. The offense if pretty much intact. The defense is assumed to be collectively better, and the Big Ten is down this year in my opinion. They have to beat Michigan at home to play for a title. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">18. <b>Ohio State – (11-1) – Ceiling 5 / Floor 20</b> – If they were eligible, I would have the Buckeyes winning the Big Ten hands down. Urban Meyer will light Columbus on fire this year and if Braxton Miller can mature into his role at QB, he could be Terrelle Pryor reincarnate (skills-wise). They get both Michigan and Nebraska at home, which I believe to be their toughest two games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">19. <b>Oklahoma State – (8-5) – Ceiling 20 / Floor Unranked</b> – The loss to Iowa State will haunt the Cowboys until they get back to the top of the mountain. The losses of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon will haunt them badly this year. Going from a 28 year-old QB to a trufrosh 18 year-old will come with adjustment and that adjustment feels like four games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">20. <b>TCU – (9-4) – Ceiling 20 / Floor Unranked</b> – TCU could creep into the top 15, if not higher as their schedule doesn’t get difficult until late October. I could see them starting 7-0 or 6-1 but they finish with five straight pre-season Top 25 teams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">21. <b>Stanford – (10-3) Ceiling 12 / Floor 25</b> – They don’t get much prep for USC in the first couple games against San Jose and Duke and the USC loss will look worse than it actually is for this team. Stanford returns the core of a top 20 rushing game and will be fine for most games in the Pac 12. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">22. <b>Kansas State – (10-3) Ceiling 14 / Floor Unranked</b> – Kansas State is an interesting wrinkle in the Big XII. Their only three losses last year came against teams that finished in the top 10. However seven of their wins were by seven points or less. Colin Klein is a force many teams won’t be able to deal with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">23. <b>Florida – (8-5) Ceiling 24 / Floor unranked</b> – Florida shouldn’t be ranked, but because they are going into the year ranked, they probably will be until they play LSU on Oct 6. They might go 1-4 over those next five and the season will be lost. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">24. <b>Boise State – (11-2) Ceiling 10 / Floor 20</b> – If Boise loses to Michigan State (which I don’t think they will), they won’t be ranked again until the pollsters start looking for one-loss teams in October. Do I think Boise is a top 10 team? Not this year. But I think Chris Petersen is a good enough coach to get the team past a weak schedule again. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">25. <b>Louisville – (11-3) – Ceiling 20 / Floor Unranked</b>. Are we discussing the Big East this year? No? Ok.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In case you haven't figured out by now, I am picking USC to beat Oklahoma in the BCS Championship this year. Yes, LSU, Alabama and Georgia have a shot, but Georgia </span><span style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0in;"> mostly due to their easier road. </span><span style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0in;">Don’t f</span><span style="font-size: small; text-indent: 0in;">orget to check back weekly for TD & Three, your weekly picks breakdown and thank me later!</span></div>
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Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-4869147545004128242011-11-11T12:19:00.001-06:002011-11-11T12:20:33.694-06:00View from the HD: College Football V. 2011 – Week 10So it seems we’ve forgotten about college football. It’s almost like LSU vs. Alabama didn’t happen. It’s the least talked about loss the Huskers have ever suffered. We’ve totally ignored another upcoming match-up with national title implications. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">I’m not making light of the circumstance or the why behind the why. Nor am I ignoring it, I’m just saying nobody is talking college football games, so allow me an attempt at normal. <br />
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<strong>SEC Snoozer</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sorry, call me crazy, stupid, uninformed, tell me I just don’t understand … but LSU vs. Alabama was boring. Yep I said it, boring. And if you disagree with me, you probably like soccer, because you’re argument is similar. Defense is beautiful, you don’t get the intricacies of SEC football. Don’t you know defense wins championships? Let me re-iterate one of my old arguments. Defense doesn’t win championships, it prevents them. To win you have to score, period. A game with zero touchdowns, five field goals and damn near as many missed field goals is not entertaining. Its uncomfortable, the way getting a haircut in the morning and working all day with that scratchy hair on your neck and back is uncomfortable. Congrats to those of you who paid thousands on EBay for tickets. Tell me how you feel about that decision now. <br />
Give me the back-and-forth that was Oklahoma State and Kansas State over that yawner any day. Unfortunately the BCS title will likely resemble the former, not the latter. <br />
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<strong>Pac 12 Track Meet</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal">For the reasons stated above, I am much more excited about watching this week's Stanford vs. Oregon game than last week's No. 1 v. No. 2. This is the Pac-12 title game. Both teams play USC, as Stanford has already beaten them and Oregon will next week, this is it. Teams combined for 83 points last year and after Stanford jumped out to a 21-3 lead, Oregon outscored them 49-10 after the first quarter. Oregon is probably a bit more battle tested, but with any team designed like Oregon, teams are starting to catch up with them. Their points per game has been declining and only put up 34 at Washington. Its going to take more than that to beat a Stanford. Andrew Luck's stock rises or falls dramatically with this game. He wins or loses the Heisman Saturday. I like Stanford at home, and given the Live Wire curse, that means you should probably pick Oregon. <br />
<strong>Top Ten</strong> <br />
1. <strong>LSU</strong> - We know they are good, but they might not really have been the best team Saturday. Their special teams didn't suck. That's it. Give their D credit for the game and especially in the OT.<br />
2. <strong>Oklahoma State</strong> - Finally faced some adversity and overcame it. Would love to see the dichotomy if they play LSU for the title. <br />
3. <strong>Stanford</strong> - I'm rooting for as many teams to stay unbeaten as possible because I love chaos and I think chaos is the only way we get playoff. <br />
4. <strong>Boise State</strong> - Do I think they are better than Alabama, no. Have they lose a "playoff" game. No. <br />
5. <strong>Alabama</strong> - You lost. Cry about it. I hope you don't get another shot. Though that would disprove all the BCS apologists. <br />
6. <strong>Oregon</strong> - They can ruin Stanford's title shot and a Pac-12 representation in the BCS title game. The biggest question, though is what will the uni's look like?<br />
7. <strong>Oklahoma</strong> - Another one-loss team that can only play spoiler.<br />
8. <strong>Arkansas</strong> - TCB against South Carolina. They have one last shot to become mayhem. Call All-State if that happens because LSU, Alabama and the Razorbacks are all in the SEC West and could all finish with one loss. We can only hope. <br />
9. <strong>Clemson</strong> - Off week. <br />
10. <strong>Houston</strong> - Our last unbeaten team. They will be a part of the "we're undefeated too, what about us?" argument with Boise when all is said and done. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>For the Homers</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal">I received a text from one of my best friends right after the Northwestern game that said “This is all your fault!” I felt a bit honored that he would give credit to the Live Wire feature curse as the reason Nebraska lost. But being a Nebraska fan myself, I vowed to not write any feature about Nebraska unless it was about their upcoming opponent for the rest of the season. </div>One point of reflection about last week real quick though … Here’s the difference between Northwestern football and Nebraska football: Northwestern had tee-shirts designed in celebration of beating Nebraska. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HL9-FmqxVSc/Tr1WgBMcTGI/AAAAAAAAACE/DvZmf6A04Xw/s1600/NU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; height: 126px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 194px;"><img border="0" height="131px" nda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HL9-FmqxVSc/Tr1WgBMcTGI/AAAAAAAAACE/DvZmf6A04Xw/s200/NU.jpg" width="200px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When's the last time you owned<br />
a Nebraska shirt commemorating<br />
a regular season win? Bush league! </td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Like it was a huge deal to them. Like they had just won a bowl game. Like that would really hurt our ego. Newsflash Wildcats … unless you win two more, this WAS your bowl game. And if the Huskers win that game, we don’t make tee-shirts, we simply add your name to the list of routine wins. You win, David slayed Goliath, we win, drop in the bucket. It meant more to you. Good job. Revel in it for a year. You’ve got us every year from here on so enjoy it while it lasts. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On to this week’s game. I completely disagree with Dr. Tom Osborne. I have all respect for him, but as far as the caution to Husker fans about wearing red, I’m not in that camp.Why the hell should we hide and act like we're ashamed to be who we are. Why should we apologize for who we are as fans or supporters of our University. There may be a pack of Lions waiting for us, but I promise you there is no pride. They are the ones who should be turning their backs in shame. Their supporters should be boycotting the game, not marching on lawns. They should be turning in their tickets, not putting their booster dollars into a system that seems to have covered up such corruption. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And I won't expound on the situation in particular other than to say this is the most blatantly egregious abuse of power you can wrap your head around. To start a foundation for troubled youth to turn around and take advantage of the very situation you created violates everything about humanity and charity down to its very core. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">That being said, the Lion is wounded. If they had their way, this game likely wouldn't even be played. How can you ask a team with no coach, whose players are unjustly associated with something bigger than themselves, to wake up on Saturday, act like nothing happened and actually play football. Nebraska has a chance to rub salt in the wounds. To put the nail in the coffin of a program on its proverbial death bed. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Predictions</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Locks</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. Boise State over TCU - Boise has been cover gold 90% of the time. At home against a down TCU program is about as good as it gets. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. Oklahoma State over Texas Tech - I have no idea what has happened to Tech after their win over Oklahoma. Since that game they lost to Iowa State by 34 and Texas by 32. The magic is gone. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3. Florida State over Miami - The Seminoles have been rolling. Their have won their last four games by nearly 29 points per and they are finally playing like their preseason ranking suggested. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">*** Bonus Over - You would think I was going with Stanford vs. Oregon considering the total is only 68. But the better guess is LSU vs. Western Kentucky. Total is 48.5 and LSU may score that themselves. If WKU gets a late 10 points might clip 60. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Upsets</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. West Virginia is a dog at Cincinnati. The Mountaineers made a lot of mistakes at Louisville and while Cincy is 7-1, they haven't been lighting the world on fire. Ripe for upset. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. Wyoming at Air Force. I wanted to take Wyoming last week against TCU and they played the Frogs close, but no cigar. This week they play Air Force who struggled against Army. The Cowboys have their shot. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3. Kansas State at Texas A&M - The Aggies are a five point fave here, but this is another chance to prove the Wildcats belong in the upper tier of the Big XII. The old coach gets this one done. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-44425018301753848362011-11-03T13:54:00.002-05:002011-11-03T14:12:36.789-05:00View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 9I give up. I am admitting I can no longer make sense nor predict the landscape of college football. All my locks last week lost outright, all my upset picks got covered and every time I do a feature on a team (Baylor, Kansas State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, not to mention propping Clemson all year) they lose. Stanford remains the one bright spot, on a 14-game cover streak. The old triple overtime eight point win to cover 7.5, no problem!<br />
We're now in the heart of the season and the tide has changed dramatically with five unbeatens falling the last two weeks. We're now left with six unbeatens, at least one of which will fall Saturday and two (Boise State and Houston) that have no shot at a title. Never mind your politics on if Bose deserves a title shot, fact is unless Oklahoma State, LSU and Alabama lose twice, and Stanford loses to Oregon, Boise isn't going. <br />
It will be very interesting to see the BCS standings next Sunday after the most anticipated game of the year between LSU and Alabama. How far will the loser fall? Will there be a possibility of a re-match between the Tigers and the Tide for the national championship, and does anybody want that? If the theory of BCS apologists rings true, that the regular season is the playoff, shouldn't that eliminate the loser from a shot. Isn't this their shot? Interesting. <br />
<br />
Thanks to Clemson, Kansas State, Wisconsin and Michigan State for ruining my Top 10. I have no clue who to put in there now. Here goes nothing ... <br />
<b>1. LSU - </b>Defense allowing less than 12 per game, offense putting up almost 40 per game. Sounds a lot like the final score of their game against Florida. They have consistently beaten each team soundly.<br />
<b>2. Alabama - </b>Ditto pretty much everything that was said about LSU. Alabama giving up less than a touchdown per game, pitching two shutouts and nobody has scored more than 14 against them.<br />
<b>3. Oklahoma State - </b>Through eight games they are maintaining a 50 point per game stretch. Texas is the best defense they have faced and they racked them for 38 in Austin. They don't play a good defense until Oklahoma, if you consider them a good D. Because of that, IF they get to the BCS game they might be in for a rude awakening against whatever SEC team they face.<br />
<b>4. Boise State</b> - I really wish these kids has a chance to play for it all. Last week we saw the difference between Boise State, who has been good for years, and Kansas State, who it just a flash in the pan. Boise would not have been overwhelmed like that.<br />
<b>5. Stanford - </b>They passed their first test of the season. USC gave them more of a battle than I expected, but each time they were down they fought on back. They were opportunistic, Luck didn't rattle after throwing the late pick and they finished.<br />
6. <b>Oregon - </b>I wanted to make some point about how the only reason Oregon is so high is because they lost week one. However their only loss is to the No.1 team and they have blown out everyone else. I still think it would take a miracle to get them to the title, but they still have it to strive for.<br />
*** From this point on, were simply chasing waterfalls. As I eluded to a couple weeks ago, there are only six teams at this point that have a shot at playing in the title game. Those teams are listed above. Its all semantics now and second-tier good, not great teams from here down. <br />
<b>7. Clemson - </b>I'm sticking with the Tigers. They are an emerging force and with their youth, it was tough for them to figure out Georgia Tech. It's also hard to come from behind against a team like that who prides ball control.<br />
<b>8.</b> <b> Arkansas - </b>Yes, their only loss is to Alabama, but they haven't been lighting it up in their other games either. They should have lost to Texas A&M and Vandy, and Ole Miss was no picnic. <br />
<b>9. Nebraska - </b>If not the Husker, who? Ohio State may be considered a game Nebraska was supposed to win, but they came from way behind to win that game and then made a huge statement against Michigan State. Husker fans are expecting a Big Ten championship appearance now.<br />
<b>10. Houston -</b> Hey, I love the underdog. Ironically they haven't been all year, but another small (non-BCS) school who plays big. Fifty-plus points a game on nearly 500 yards passing. Maybe I have them this high because its just fun to watch. Tell me I'm wrong, tell me they don't play anyone. Fine, who cares, they aren't going anywhere anyway, but another unbeaten throws fuel on the playoff fire, and I love that.<br />
<br />
<b>Game of the week</b><br />
<b> </b>Month, year, century, whatever. I don't talk a lot of SEC football, because I try not write about things I don't know much about. Though my friend Aaron would argue that's not true. But I guess I have to write about this one. A lot of ESPN analysts are calling this game the SuperBowl of college football. No its not. LSU still plays next week. Alabama still has to get ready for Mississippi State afterwards. But they could be right about one thing. The season is over for the loser. <br />
So even though I'm ranking LSU higher than Bama this week, I think the Tide has the edge. Their just a notch better on both offense and defense. There are still players on this Tide team that have tasted a championship. Their on-field experience and their icy-nerved coach puts them in the advantage this week. BamaLSU has had their toughest at home. Now they have to go to Tuscaloosa. Tide in a close one.<br />
<br />
<b>For the Homers</b><br />
<b> </b>I never did like Taylor Martinez. There I said it. He reminded me of Sam Keller, and Sam Keller represented for me the player figure that brought down the Husker tradition. He wasn't a Husker, much like Bill Callahan wasn't a Husker. But Keller came in with the attitude that he was the answer, the savior, the gift Husker fans had been waiting for since Eric Crouch. He was the arm that was going to usher in a new system, the future. He was cocksure and had a swagger and failed spectacularly and led Husker Nation down a four-year funk. <br />
Enter Bo Pelini and Taylor Martinez. I always thought of Pelini more of an Oklahoma guy, LSU guy or an Ohio State guy or his stints in the NFL gave me deja-vu. Sure, Pelini had coached with the Huskers, but just for one year. He wasn't here long enough to "be" a Husker. And yes, I know that his first couple years he had ex-Callahan quarterbacks leading the team, but Joe Ganz and Zac Lee "felt" like Huskers. I don't know how to describe it, but Husker fans know that feeling. <br />
Pelini had his ups and downs but after the leftovers, clearly wanted to run things his way. He was a bit embattled for his fiery attitude and had rubbed some old school fans the wrong way. <br />
Then come Taylor Martinez. This cocky slinger from California. A freshman recruited on the tails of Lee and highly-touted recruit Cody Green. Did he really think he would come in and start over these guys? How dare he. <br />
He did indeed win the job and sparked Nebraska immediately. A 5-0 start and talk of Heisman for a freshman? Sweet, we're back! Then the injury. His audacity with the situation, his insistence on coming back, while still injured. The lackluster finish and finally the bowl loss to a Washington team Nebraska has beaten by 35. To hell with this kid.<br />
The more I watched him struggle to run and rainbow heave passes, the more I disliked him. I dealt with the ugliness of the passing game through the first couple games this season because the team kept winning. And like most of us, I was ready to give up on Martinez and Pelini both after the Wisconsin game. Bo can't win a big one. Martinez will never be a good passer. They don't play to the teams' strengths. The Dirk situation. I wasn't just another mad Husker fan, I was done ... with both of them.<br />
What a difference a Buckeye makes. The first half of that game was more depressing than the second half of the Wisconsin game. But something changed in that game. It all changed. A defensive turnover sparked a comeback. Martinez slung one to Quincy Enunwa and let Rex run wild for a couple more and the miracle was complete.<br />
Pelini said after the game, "You guys can choose to write whatever you want and attack him like the fans will, and now they'll praise him."<br />
And they did, and I did. But it was more than that. They turned a corner, not just for 2011, but as a program, against Ohio State. Bill Callahan teams don't win that game, they mail it in. As a good Pelini team does, the defense led if off with a big turnover. But Martinez started to lean on and trust his team, and especially the veteran and emotional leader, Rex Burkhead. The coaches started to trust Martinez and call to his strengths. The team started to reflect their coach. Fire. And the game against Michigan State cemented that feeling. One of the most complete games Nebraska has played in a decade. <br />
<br />
Truth is Martinez is a lot like Pelini. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He plays with fire, he's a gamer and most of all he hates to lose. He is taking on the personality of his coach, and in turn so is the team. And when everyone gets on the same page with the direction of the team and the program, that's when magic happens. Pelini and Martinez don't coach or play to make the fans happy, they don't apologize for being in control, they don't apologize for creating a new tradition, and not following old traditions to a T. But they will do anything to win and they are mad as hell if they don't. That's the Husker Nation expectation. That's the Husker way. It's time to embrace the new regime. It's young, its brash, its up-and-coming and it makes no bones about wanting to be the best. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Trivia </b><br />
Which of these teams ranks in the top five defensively for points against?<br />
1. Central Florida<br />
2. Virginia Tech<br />
3. Michigan State<br />
4. Temple<br />
5. Michigan<br />
*Answer at bottom, after picks<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Predictions</b><br />
<b>Locks:</b> Okay so 0-3 last week, aside from the over pick ,which hit. No where to go but up.<br />
1. Start the weekend off right taking USC over Colorado. Colorado ranks in the bottom 10 in rushing, scoring, and points allowed. They have lost their last four by an average 36.5 per. They gave up 37 to Ohio State during a stretch when the Buckeyes scored just over 14 per in four other games. USC found its offense last week against Stanford.<br />
2. Stanford has covered 14 straight and they get Oregon State this week. Stanford's average score is 49-17 and that includes last weeks eeker against USC. Beavers only score 23 per game against weaker opponents so far and managed only eight against Utah.<br />
3. Oklahoma State won't derail against Kansas State. The wind is out of the Wildcat sails as they move slowly into that good night. Three touchdowns? Might be five.<br />
***Bonus over - Oregon and Washington (74). Oregon and Washington State combined for 71 last week and Oregon only scored 43. The Husky offense is better than Wazzu and their defense is worse. But the Huskies will hang with Oregon for at least a half prompting the Ducks to score again and again.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Upsets: </b><br />
1. Iowa has burned me again and again. However is seems unusual that they are only a four point dog to Michigan. Michigan may come in cocky and assuming they will roll the Hawk fresh off an embarrassment against Minnesota. Don't be surprised by this one.<br />
2. Troy State over Navy. Both teams are struggling, but Navy looked especially bad against Notre Dame. They are without their starting QB and the guy running the offense right now is green.<br />
3. Missouri over Baylor. I hate giving Mizzou any credit at all, considering their Nebraska rivalry, but Missouri figured out who they were last week. Their defense is better than you think and teams are starting to figure RGIII out. Baylor is long past the hype. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Trivia answer:</b> This is sort of a trick question. Both Temple (No. 4) and UCF (No. 5) are in the top five in points against. Prior to Wednesday night's game against Ohio, Temple actually ranked No. 2 in the country, allowing just 10 points per game on a schedule that included Penn State and Maryland. Perhaps more surprising Michigan actually ranks sixth, ahead of Michigan State at seventh.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-55326035490577671432011-10-28T11:52:00.004-05:002011-11-02T14:04:09.364-05:00View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 8Let me first apologize for my absence last two weeks. Had something very important to accomplish at work. Thanks to my readers for pressing me to write again this week. <br />
<br />
I was really upset to see two unbeatens fall last week. I'm a big proponent of a playoff and the chaos that six or more unbeaten teams would cause would really provide a great new argument. But alas, we're down to eight now, a couple of which play each other. But can you imagine the uproar if unbeaten Clemson and Stanford don't get a title shot, let alone Boise. <br />
<br />
This is the week we start to see what garbage the BCS rankings are really. I don't have much issue with the top three, which mirrors mine. Where I start to see holes is Boise at No. 4. You all know I love Boise, but Clemson's resume with back-to-back-to-back wins over Auburn, Florida State and Va Tech should speak louder than Boise's one notable win over Georgia. True that we now know FSU was, as I said week 2, overrated. So Clemson, should be four, Boise five. Its a nit pick. <br />
Stanford had played nobody but sixth is fine. Kansas State is finally getting some love and really should be ahead of Oregon (for now, more on them later). After all they did beat the Texas Tech team that just ruined the Sooner's season. <br />
Things get very strange after that. Oklahoma loses to Tech, yet remain ranked above Arkansas (who's only loss is to Alabama), above Michigan State (who just beat Wisconsin), and above Va Tech (who's only loss is to Clemson). <br />
Wisconsin loses on a last second bomb to a very good Sparty squad and falls from No. 4 to No. 15 BEHIND a Nebraska team that they slaughtered and a South Carolina team who lost to Auburn and has won three other games against lesser opponents by three points or less. <br />
Last comment and its about undefeated Houston. The only difference between Houston's schedule and Boise State's schedule is basically Georgia (unless you consider Boise's resume over last five years, in which case proves the flaws of the BCS in a vacuum). Either Houston should be higher or Boise should be lower. Did you see Case Keenum last night? In just over three quarters he threw for 534 yards and NINE touchdowns ... in a driving rain. <br />
<br />
That being said, here's my Top 10 this week: <br />
<strong>1. LSU</strong> - Two-thirds of the way through their regular season and they have yet to be tested. Outside of a 6-3 halftime score against Mississippi State they have impressively blown everyone else away. Their season begins or ends next week against Alabama. <br />
<strong>2. Alabama -</strong> Like LSU, they have yet to really find relevant competition. The one thing Alabama has to worry about against LSU is that they start slow sometimes. Tied at half against Tennessee, trailed Florida early and failed to ever really put Penn State away. <br />
<strong>3. Oklahoma State-</strong> The Cowboys are still being underestimated. Only a seven-point fav at Mizzou and killed that number, winning by 21. They host Baylor this week, which should really teach us something about their defense. Vegas says 80 points and if it goes under its because Baylor was held under 30 points. <br />
<strong>4. Clemson -</strong> Great story. From unranked to a shot at the title. Tough test against the funky Georgia Tech offense this week, but Georgia Tech is sputtering lately. In it's last three games the Ramblin Wreck has been a wreck only scoring 16.33 points per. Not enough to stop Tajh.0.<br />
<strong>5. Boise State -</strong> After laying waste to Fresno on national TV a couple weeks ago, they were sloppy against Air Force and their ironic iconic ground attack. They might however hang 100 on UNLV, even if Kellen Moore doesn't play the 2nd half. <br />
<strong>6. Stanford -</strong> Moves up because of the Oklahoma and Wisconsin losses. They are however 2nd in overall points for and 4th in points against, which has made them a home-gamer darling. I think they have covered every week so far. A bit of a test at USC this week. <br />
<strong>7. Kansas State -</strong> Wins in consecutive games over Miami, Baylor, Missouri and Texas Tech. Mini-feature after Top 10. <br />
<strong>8. Oregon -</strong> Been humming along since the loss to LSU. The defense is either better than people think or the Pac-12 offenses really do suck. Date with Stanford looms big time, but I think Oregon is relegated to spoiler at this point. <br />
<strong>9. Michigan State -</strong> Very gritty win over Wisconsin, with a little luck thrown in as well. The defense and special teams were amazing for the middle 40 minutes of the game. Watch out for the let down at Nebraska this week, though. <br />
<strong>10. Wisconsin -</strong> Their season may have been ruined last week as I don't think enough obstacles can be over come by year end. They may have a chance for redemption in the Big Ten title game, but now they know how it feels to be Ohio State last year. <br />
<br />
The old ball coach has still got the magic. And no, I'm not talking Steve Spurrier. This time, we're talking Bill Snyder of <strong>Kansas State</strong>. Fresh off his 72nd birthday Snyder is leading Kansas State back to the prominence they has in his previous tenure. The Wildcats are 7-0, battle-tested and hungry to prove themselves as a top tier team. Collin Klein is a machine that hasn't been stopped yet. Against Baylor, he out-Griffin'ed Griffin running for 113 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that put the Cats in position to just need a field goal the next drive to win. Klein has thrown for nearly 1000 yards and eight touchdowns, but has run for almost 700 yards and 14 scores. And the defense isn't bad either. Ranked 23rd overall in points against, they held both Texas Tech and Baylor to 35 points or less. The 35 points from Baylor sounds like a lot until you figure their previous season low was 48 against SF Austin, when they shut it down late. And the 34 allowed against Tech is impressive given the vaunted Oklahoma defense allowed 41. <br />
Put this in perspective: If Kansas State runs the table, they will have beaten six, maybe seven teams ranked in the Top 25 this season. If they can beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma Stat in back to back games, they could find themselves No. 2 in the BCS come November 6. The next four games are all against BCS Top 25 teams, so the season is just getting started for Kansas State. Its a real shame Oklahoma lost last week or GameDay would be at the Little Apple this week. <br />
<br />
<strong>For the Homers: Michigan State at Nebraska preview -</strong> Nebraska grew up as a team and may have entered a new era in the comeback win over Ohio State. Last year's Huskers, hell the last six Husker teams, would not have won that game. They thoroughly dismantled Minnesota in the first half and shut it down. The true test of whether they are back or not comes now. Michigan State is coming off a very emotional win over Wisconsin. The difference in the game was their special teams. That blocked punt touchdown changed the whole game and Wisconsin didn't get traction back until it was too late. The Huskers offensive special teams is better than the Spartans with Abdullah returning kicks. However its when Nebraska is kicking or punting that the Spartans are superior. Sparty may have an emotional let down after last week and coming into Lincoln. This game is now bigger for Nebraska than the Wisconsin game was because if the Huskers fail to win this one, all their goals to start the season became all but unattainable. William Gholston coming back for Michigan State makes it harder for Burkhead and unless Quincy Enunwa can become Nick Toon and fast, the Husker pass game might have trouble hauling in the rainbow heaves of Martinez. Every match up points to Michigan State, yet Nebraska is favored. Early kickoff may mean a long hangover for Husker nation. This is a barometer game for Husker Nation. <br />
<br />
<strong>Predictions</strong> <br />
<strong>Locks: </strong><br />
<strong>Starting Fresh This week: </strong><br />
1. Clemson over Georgia Tech - The Jackets are reeling. After a perfect start they have dropped two disappointing games against Virginia and Miami. This is not the game is looked like two weeks ago and Clemson is not the team you get back on track against. Clemson by 14. <br />
2. Texas A&M over Mizzou - The Tigers are not the team anyone thought they would be and the A&M defense will be the hardest they have faced so far. A&M is looking for a statement game. This is it. <br />
3.Iowa over Minnesota - I usually don't like double digit road favorites, but Minnesota has been gold to pick against. The Hawkeyes got correct against Indiana and the Gophers rank 109th or worse in passing, points for and points against. <br />
***Bonus over*** Oklahoma State v. Baylor is tempting, even at 79, but realize that means we gotta get 21 per quarter in this one. W could also consider SMU at Tulsa. But for overs gold, look for gold helmets ... Notre Dame v. Navy. When ND played a similar type of offense in Air Force, the two combined for 92 points. Navy and AF combined for 69. Navy is top 40 in points for, 83rd in points against. <br />
<br />
<strong>Upset Alerts:</strong> <br />
1. Undefeated Kansas State is a 14 point dog at home against a down Oklahoma team. I'm not coming out and saying KSU wins, but last time they were a double-digit home dog was Baylor and they won that one outright. <br />
2. Coming off a big win over West Virginia, Syracuse has an extra day and are getting points heading into Louisville, who is 114th in points for, averaging just over 16 a game. There is no explanation other than home field that Lou is favored. <br />
3.Oregon State got off to a rocky start, but has put up 36 points a game the last three. Utah has struggled against aggressive passing teams, Washington and Arizona State.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0Omaha, NE, USA41.2523634 -95.99798829999997541.1510524 -96.170253799999969 41.3536744 -95.82572279999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-40233372170576277022011-10-06T15:15:00.001-05:002011-10-07T09:30:17.853-05:00View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 5Week five in college football was a bit disappointing. Both match-ups of Top 15 caliber teams were blowouts which is starting to show a major gap in the teams that actually have a chance to win the title. I think we're down to just six teams that legitimately have a shot at the BCS crown, and unfortunately Boise State isn't one of them, again. <br />
But this week is crow eatin' time. I was proven wrong about so many things it's ridiculous. I asked for it on the Husker Rivals page too. I asked to be proven wrong and spouted something about black jerseys that was great for hits (broke a record for readers last week). This week will be laced with battle rants that I was just plain wrong about. And no, crow does not taste like chicken ... more like humility. <br />
Crow on...<br />
We learned that Nebraska is who they have been for each year under Bo. A good team that underwhelms in big situations. This was their chance to prove they were back. To exert themselves into the Big Ten and make a statement. The statement is whimpered loud and clear. They aren't ready to win a championship. The talent gap between Taylor Martinez (who is now being dubbed T-ragic, not T-magic) and Wisconsin's Russell Wilson is beyond evident. But it doesn't stop there. This battle was won on the scrimmage. Wisconsin's big nasties are just flat better right now, on both sides. Their secondary is better, their receivers are better, and as gritty as Rex Burkhead is, Montee Ball is better. <br />
Keep in mind, however, just how young a team Nebraska fields. Martinez, sophomore. Abdullah, freshman. Enunwa, soph. Turner, freshman. The offensive line is littered with underclassmen and lacking in cohesion. The Huskers just aren't elite yet. They have the promise, but they haven't had the time. One last thought ... as talented as Martinez is, he better learn to keep possession of the ball, running or throwing. People are starting to question if the juice is worth the way he squeezes the ball out of his own hands.<br />
Speaking of orange juice, Florida has it's own issues. They came out, similar to Nebraska, and took a lead at Alabama early on a John Brantley bomb. But Alabama ran all over the Gators as Trent Richardson rushed for over 180-yards. Brantley, and the Gators hopes of a home win, we're knocked out in the second quarter. On an up-note, Florida now has to play No. 1 LSU in Baton Rouge. Lucky them.<br />
<br />
Enough ramble, Top 10 time. <br />
1. <strong>LSU</strong> - Nice scrimmage against Kentucky last week. Florida at home sounds tough. But with the Gators likely playing a freshman quarterback, is no contest either. <br />
2. <strong>Alabama</strong> - Stemmed an early tide against Florida. Three no-brainers leading up to LSU. <br />
3. <strong>Oklahoma State</strong>- Off last week. Kansas coming, as is domination of the Jayhawks. <br />
4. <strong>Oklahoma</strong> - Of course they beat Ball State by 56. Red River next up. Maybe I'll continue to be wrong about Texas and they'll give Oklahoma a game, but I doubt it. <br />
5. <strong>Boise State</strong> - I said last week, all they do is win by 20, and that's exactly what they did against Nevada. About the only thing I got right last week. But Boise is losing luster, just like it does every October when the big boys play big boy games. More on Boise next week.<br />
6. <strong>Wisconsin</strong>- Very impressive and thorough beating of Nebraska. So why not rank them above Boise? I think Boise would do the same to Nebraska at this point.<br />
7. <strong>Clemson</strong> - Their resume is actually better, from a ranking standpoint, than most Top 10 teams. And by my normal method, I should have them third or fourth. Shutting Va Tech down to three points hasn't been done since 2006. But the Hokies, Auburn and Florida State are tier-two or three programs within the Top 25. Could they really beat those above them?<br />
8. <strong>Stanford</strong>- The Boise State of the Pac 12. They just have yet to play anyone and won't until the de-facto conference title game against Oregon. Good thing for them the Pac 12 is a BCS conference, or they would be stuck with no shot at a title, too. <br />
9. <strong>Georgia Tech</strong> - Thank you for the humble pie. I predicted a loss at NC State. Yeah the final score looked close, at 45-35, but GT had a 42-14 lead in the fourth quarter after a flurry of three scores in three minutes. They average almost 600 yards of total offense and that triple option run game gets almost 400 per. They hang 52 on everyone. The Clemson game later this month will be a bonus BCS game nobody saw coming. <br />
10. <strong>Arkansas - </strong>I really wish Baylor would have beaten Kansas State. I had this spot all warmed up for them. The Razorbacks are the best one-loss team out there and their loss was to No. 2. Arkansas showed a lot of tenacity in the comeback over A&M. <br />
<br />
Not quite ready to give Michigan, Texas or Kansas State Top 10 love yet. They all three have brutal conference schedules to navigate. <br />
<br />
Crow eating time! I was wrong about Texas. Maybe with Gilbert Grape out of their way, they will be good again. The Big XII really slapped me in the face all around. I gave love to Iowa State (lost), Baylor (lost), A&M (lost) and said Texas was still garbage (won big). I thought Wisconsin would be softened by their week schedule so far. Nope, tough as as bad meat. Gave props to Illinois, who had to rally late to clip a Northwestern team that isn't great. Pitt laid waste to South Florida, who I claimed had first rights to the conference. So, ok here it is ... I was wrong. <br />
<br />
<strong>Games of the week: </strong><br />
<br />
Western Kentucky @ Middle Tennessee State: Just kidding ...<br />
<strong>Oklahoma @ Texas:</strong> Obviously the biggest game of the week. Landry Jones is trying to prove he's not just a dark horse Heisman guy. The Sooners have more talent and Texas is a bit overrated. However this is the game that decides the Big XII and has for a number of years been a game that decides who plays in the BCS game. Both teams come in with a lot of momentum and a lot to prove. Let's just hope for viewer's sake their not the blowouts last week's two big games were. <br />
<br />
<strong>Boise St. @ Fresno St.</strong> : You might skip past this one thinking its going to be another Boise walkthrough, but hold on. Boise has zombied through every game since the Georgia opener. Kellen Moore is likely the best pure passing QB in the country, but they are easy to set aside. Fresno's own QB Derek Carr in no slouch, however. I've seen first had how effective he can be on the roll out pass. This game gets national attention played on a Friday night and Fresno will give them hell. <br />
<br />
So many more games had the potential to be marquee this week, if not for some losses already: Iowa State @ Baylor, Ohio State @ Nebraska, Auburn @ Arkansas, etc. So lets do this. Ill list the match-up, you tell me who has the better record (without going to ESPN.com or Yahoo! Sports!). Answers at the end. <br />
<br />
-Texas A&M @Texas Tech <br />
-TCU @ San Diego State<br />
-Georgia @ Tennessee<br />
-Cal @ Oregon<br />
- Florida State @ Wake Forest<br />
-Washington State @ UCLA<br />
<br />
We'll do Conference Breakdowns next week as there are some big games this week. <br />
<br />
Predictions <br />
<br />
<strong>Locks</strong>: Three of four last week, not bad. I should have given you all Michigan over Minnesota instead of Northern Illinois on the road at Central Michigan, who won the game outright and blew my lock pick away. More crow.<br />
<strong>This week: </strong><br />
1. Give us Stanford at home again against Pac 12 newby Colorado, who is 1-4. Get your night right! <br />
2. Georgia Tech over Maryland. If Temple can beat Maryland by 31 in Maryland, what's G-Tech going to do to them?<br />
3. Baylor to cream Iowa State. The Cyclone inspiration bubble popped last week, and so did Baylor's perfect record. Baylor is mad, at home and RG3 may go 28-33 for 312 yards and five touchdowns. Just tossing it out there. <br />
***Bonus over*** Had a lot of success with Kansas and overs, so lets stay comfy. Oklahoma State = fantastic offense, ok defense. Kansas = Bad defense, capable offense. This one gets away from the Jayhawks early and a bunch of late third and early fourth quarter garbage TD's send this one over. <br />
<strong>Upset Alerts:</strong> I should know, by my day job, that past performance does not ensure future gains. I forgot this with my upsets last week. Yeah Utah State nearly made me a genius, but Iowa State and NC State got smoked. Try, try again. <br />
1. Iowa is a dog at Penn State. Could be a trap, but common sense says Iowa. <br />
2. Wake Forest covers Florida State and maybe win outright. Double digit home dog, Seminoles reeling, let down coming.<br />
3. Kansas State is a home dog against Mizzou. If the KSU can stay up from the Baylor win, they'll win this battle of the Cats.<br />
<strong>Answers to Better record</strong>: <br />
-Texas Tech is still undefeated at 4-0. A&M is 2-2. <br />
-TCU is 3-2 while San Diego State is 3-1 with a loss to Michigan. <br />
-Tennessee is 3-1, which shocked me. Go Rocky Top. Georgia 3-2 <br />
-Cal and Oregon: Trick question, both are 3-1. Cal's first loss came last week at Washington. <br />
-Wake Forest is a quiet 3-1 while Florida State is a very public 2-2. <br />
-Washington State is 3-1. No really, they are. UCLA is 2-3 and floundering.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-78773130078153997812011-09-29T00:51:00.018-05:002011-10-06T09:38:53.423-05:00View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 4You know what makes college football different for me? I would rather watch literally any college football game rather than ESPN's College Game Day. By contrast, I like the NFL, but I'm equally or more excited to watch the fantasy football show or NFL Countdown then the NFL games themselves. I'm not sure why its like that for me, but I can't be the only one. <br />
Let's get crackin!<br />
I was so ready to crucify Oklahoma State at halftime of their game against Texas A&M. Every year the Cowboys come in firing hot and in their first big game test to prove legitimacy they seem to let it slip. Not this time. State showed character coming from 17 down to win the game and they may actually have a decent defense as they only gave up seven second-half points (nobody counts that safety). Oklahoma State is poised for a really nice year and they get Baylor and Oklahoma at home. I'm now a believer. <br />
<br />
Week four and one of the polls finally got it right as the AP has LSU No. 1. USA Today still has them at No. 2. <br />
So my Top 10 looks like this: <b> </b><br />
<b>1. LSU -</b> No other unbeaten team in college football has beaten two teams in this week's Top 25, one on the road. They hung 40+ on both Oregon and West Virgina. Enough said. <br />
<b>2. Alabama -</b> The Tide defense has only allowed 32 points in four games. Just <i>eight points</i> per game. Stout!<br />
<b>3. Oklahoma State-</b> Too high? Just ask Nebraska how easy it is to win AT A&M, when you're playing 11 on 12. See Oklahoma's ranking for further justification.<br />
<b>4. Boise State -</b> All they do is win by 20 every week. <b></b><br />
<b>5. Oklahoma - </b>Florida State losing to Clemson takes a bit of cred from the Sooners. They will have plenty of chances to earn it back with Texas, A&M, Baylor and OKSt. still on the schedule. <br />
<b>6. Stanford-</b> Another team known for offense whose defense is better than you think. Just 27 points allowed, yet against three weaker teams.<b> </b><br />
<b>7. Wisconsin-</b> Have blown out four cupcakes by a combined 194-34. Week four against South Dakota though? Unfair. <b> </b><br />
<b>8. Nebraska -</b> Moves up by sheer attrition. Defense may be improving with the return of some walking wounded. True test is this week at Wisconsin. <br />
<b>9. South Carolina -</b> They have been winning close games but they won't get tested again until November. By then, they will be 8-0 and a solid Top 10 team. <br />
<b>10. Clemson -</b> Clemson? Yeah, they snapped the longest winning streak in football with the win against Auburn and followed that up by hanging 35 on Florida State, something Oklahoma couldn't do. No big deal. <br />
<br />
<b>Teams on Top 25 radar:</b> Illinois (I know some polls have them in, but I'm not quite ready to give them that yet), Kansas State (play Baylor this week), Houston, Auburn, Iowa, Washington. Michigan State. <br />
<br />
<b>Games of the week: </b><br />
Nebraska @ Wisconsin - Welcome to the Big Ten and Camp Randall, Huskers. Nebraska is 0-8 in their last eight as a 10+ point dog. Nebraska's defensive philosophy is bend don't break, but Badger QB Russell Wilson is breaking everyone. Rumors of the black uniforms coming out to play for the Huskers, and fans will rock black but will the Blackshirts?<br />
Clemson @ Virginia Tech - What looked like a ho-hum ACC game a month ago has BCS implications now. Clemson QB Tahj Boyd is 66% passing, 13 TDs and two picks. Ridiculous numbers, especially for a sophomore. Virginia Tech has a solid run game and usually wins the intangible battle.<br />
Alabama @ Florida - This is the first in a long line of major SEC match-ups this year. This week we get to see if Florida is a pretender. The Gators have rolled on without much opposition but Alabama is battle tested and road tested already traveling to Penn State.<br />
<br />
<b>Random Thoughts </b><br />
-Why on God's green earth is <b>Texas </b>ranked? Ohhh you beat BYU by a point and you break out against a bottom 10 UCLA team. Let's get real. Reputation has carried them to their current ranking, but pay no mind to that and let me be the one who said "I told you so" when they finish with four losses.<br />
-Don't look now, but <b>Iowa State</b> in undefeated. But they have a month from hell coming up. Texas, at Baylor, at Mizzou, A&M at home. If they go 2-2 over next four, give them some love.<br />
<b>-</b>Who would have thought with all the fantastic games last weekend, we would still be talking about <b>Toledo v. Syracuse</b>. You stand <i>under </i>the pole, parallel with the line to rule a kick in our out, and you screw <i>that </i>up? No wonder the Big East is in trouble. Good win, Toledo.<br />
- Kudos to <b>Wisconsin</b> for scheduling a week four game against <b>South Dakota</b>. That's something you do in week one, not a softie right before Nebraska. The Coyotes, however would like to thank you for showing some discretion by not running up 70+ points like you did three times last year (83 against Indiana).<br />
- <b>Notre Dame v. Pitt</b> was unwatchable. Just sayin.<br />
- Congrats to <b>Minnesota </b>for dropping a game to a I-AA team for the second straight year after surviving a three-point win over South Dakota State in 2009. They aren't the only ones, though. UNLV lost at home by 25 to Southern Utah.<br />
-Sick stat of the week: <b>Baylor QB RG3</b> has more touchdown passes (13) than incompletions (12). <br />
-Its the verge of <b>UNO hockey</b> season already? Holy crap!<br />
<br />
<b>Conference Breakdown</b><br />
The <b>Big XII </b>is 28-4 with five teams in the top 17 (if you believe in Texas), and seven unbeatens. No other conference has more than four. Two of those losses are intra-conference already, which means a 26-2 non-conference. You can't argue with that. They are heading into conference season and the cream will rise, but the conference has at least two legit national championship contenders. <br />
<br />
The <b>SEC </b>actually only has five teams in the Top 25 right now entering the meat of conference play. The SEC has some signature wins but also a couple of unfortunate losses. They are two-team top heavy, but really bad at the bottom. I wouldn't say its a down year because LSU and Alabama are in the conversation until December, but their bottom looks a lot like the bottom of the Big Ten. <br />
<br />
The <b>BigTen </b>championship is this weekend. Pay no mind to whatever game in late December, unless its a rematch. The winner of the Wisconsin v. Nebraska match has the inside track to a conference crown. Illinois has been the story of the league so far, however. Allowing only 13 points a game and a win over Arizona State has given them some attention. Can they sustain? <br />
<br />
South Florida is carrying the flag for the <b>Big East</b> and is trying to earn eight wins for the sixth season in a row. Not bad for a "who's that" program before this streak. West Virginia stands in their way in the last game of the season, but look for the Bulls to keep charging forward. I don't think they are a Top 10 team but they may get there if they survive this upcoming stretch of four of their next five on the road.<br />
<br />
Do I really have to talk about the <b>Pac-12 </b>the week? Stanford and Oregon are head and feathers above the rest and its not just Luck. Nice try making a name for yourself Washington and Arizona State. Oh and good pick up by adding Colorado. <br />
<br />
<b>Predictions</b> <br />
<b>Locks: </b><br />
1. West Virginia coming off an undressing against LSU will bounce back huge and run through Bowling Green like tissue paper. Maybe by 30. <br />
2.Northern Illinois over Central Michigan. The Chips may be in the Bottom 10 in football. In their last 10 quarters Central Michigan has been outscored 100-21. The only team NIU didn't score 40 on was Wisconsin. <br />
3. Are the football god's really giving us Stanford at home against a reeling UCLA team? Thank you!<br />
*4. Bonus over - Kansas and Texas Tech - I know a couple weeks ago I picked KU and the Georgia Tech over and that was too easy. Back to KU and Tech. Combined averaging 42.5 a game. Kansas allowing 40+ a game and Tech hasn't played anyone with any offense. <br />
<b>Upset Alerts: </b>I was a week early on calling a Temple win over a BCS school. Huge win over Maryland. Nice job, boys.<br />
1. Intra-state game for my first upset: Utah State to beat BYU. The Aggies hung tough with Auburn and BYU's QB looked lost at times against Central Florida. If USU jumps out early, hard for the Cougs to recover. <br />
2. Watch out this week, Georgia Tech. You lost six games last year, one of them to North Carolina State. The Jackets travel this year. <br />
3.Iowa State at home over Texas. Cyclones did it last year. Both teams are 3-0 and looking to make a statement. Paul Rhodes gets players jacked up for games like nobody else. The guy is genuine and you want to follow him to battle. A win may get them a ranking.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-23912502008909366652011-09-14T23:50:00.010-05:002011-09-27T22:14:19.683-05:00View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 2This week is why I love college football. Watching Iowa State celebrate like they had just won a national championship because they won a makeshift rivalry trophy that they later broke, the hype leading up to the Michigan-Notre Dame that proved to be the game of the year so far, the SEC battles we have become familiar with and week after week upset threat like we got with Toledo at Ohio State. Its more thrilling and dramatic than any Hollywood movie, and it's all relatively free from our own living room.<br />
Now, down to the gritty. I began last week talking about my hate of preseason rankings. It's becoming clear they are useless. Without preseason rankings, teams like Notre Dame, TCU, Texas, Penn State, USC and Missouri would never have been given any relevance. And unlike the pollsters, I do rank on style points.<br />
So my Top 10 looks like this: <b> </b><br />
<b>1. LSU -</b> Best resume of top tier team so far. The significance of the Oregon win will be realized over the next few weeks as Oregon rolls its next few opponents. <b> </b><br />
<b>2. Alabama -</b> Moves up this week after leaving Happy Valley, well, happy and proving SEC dominance.<br />
<b>3. Oklahoma -</b> Didn't play this week, but could jump to No. 1 with a convincing win at Florida State<br />
<b>4. Boise State -</b> Their toughest game is behind them. Their only task now is to not beat themselves. <b> </b><br />
<b>5. Wisconsin -</b> Jumps three spots after a shutout win over Oregon State. <b> </b><br />
<b>6. Stanford -</b> Struggled in the first half at Duke, but came back strong and won big. <b> </b><br />
<b>7. Texas A&M -</b> Off this week along with many Big XII teams. Very tough road coming up that will test how good they really are.<br />
<b>8. Oklahoma State -</b> Surprisingly impressive defensive performance against a dangerous QB for Arizona. Test of mettle with their next 4 of 5 on the road including A&M and Texas. <b> </b><br />
<b>9. South Carolina -</b> They have been tested twice already which should pay dividends in the SEC. Don't overlook Navy this week, one of my must see games. <b> </b><br />
<b>10. Nebraska -</b> The Huskers certainly didn't look like a Top 10 team in the first 40 minutes against Fresno State. And is it just me or does Taylor Martinez look like he is shot-putting every pass? <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Games of the week: </b>Oklahoma @ Florida State- Big time national championship implications. Is Florida State for real? Navy @ South Carolina - Clash of styles and a third test for South Carolina. Don't be surprised if this is tight game also. Oklahoma State @ Tulsa - If you like the long ball, this will appeal. Justin Blackmon is the most impressive receiver in the game right now. <b> </b><br />
<b>Teams on Top 25 radar:</b> Michigan, Northwestern, Houston, Maryland, UCF. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Observing the Obvious</b><br />
-There ought to be more night games in the Big House. <b>Michigan vs. Notre Dame</b> was by far the game of the year. One question. Did anyone tell either defense the game was not actually over in the last couple minutes?<br />
-<b>Nebraska</b> better get its house in order. I don't know if they could beat Wisconsin, Michigan State or Michigan right now. They need Dennard back and quick to help relieve their secondary. They will still roll Washington but they must get better and fast.<br />
- You all know by now I love ripping <b>Notre Dame</b> for their undeserved high regard in college football, but both the Domers and <b>Georgia</b> are much better than their 0-2 record. Unfortunately they have to win some of these swing games because the road for both gets no easier and they could each lose 5-6 games this year. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Conference Breakdown</b><br />
Its a real shame that the <b>Big XII</b> appears to be going the way of the Titanic, and coincidentally enough, exactly 100 years after the doomed vessel sank in 1912. Blame Texas, blame the commish, blame whoever or whatever, but its a shame that Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Texas A&M and an emerging Baylor team that could be such a power will no longer co-exist. The conference is 14-1 this season, by far the best in football so far.<br />
<br />
The <b>SEC </b>went unbeaten in non-conference play, again flexing their muscle. They have began to beat up on each other in conference with South Carolina's edging of Georgia and Auburn clipping up-and-commer Mississippi State. Five of the six SEC West teams are in the ESPN Top 25. Read that again and try to wrap your head around that figure.<br />
The <b>Big 10</b> had kind of a tough week. Does anyone else wish Toledo would have beaten Ohio State? Iowa falls in rivalry, the Huskers nearly get shucked, Minnesota loses to ... New Mexico State? They still play ball? The biggest winner on the week was Illinois, a 53-point spanking of South Dakota whoever. Another round of non-conference snoozers this week, except for Michigan State vs. Notre Dame. More on the ASU vs. Illinois game later.<br />
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The <b>Big East</b> is a battle for the best of the irrelevant. West Virginia, South Florida, Pitt, none of them really matter in the long run. <b>Virginia Tech</b> is my dark horse to get to the BCS title game. Their only competition in the <b>ACC</b> is Florida State and the Hokies won't play the Seminoles until the championship game. Its very similar to Boise State, where one game determines if they go unbeaten.<br />
<br />
Among the unbeatens in the <b>Pac-12</b> is Washington and Washington State. Never thought I would write that sentence. Not for long, Washington plays at Nebraska. But the others, USC, Wazzu, Cal and Stanford should still carry the week.<br />
<br />
Houston owns the CUSA, Temple the fave in the MAC. We done now? <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Predictions</b> watch for Oregon, Georgia and Baylor. <b> </b><br />
<b>Locks: </b>Went 2-1 last week. Who thought Okie State knew how to even spell defense.<br />
1. Nebraska covers Washington. I touched on it last week, but the Huskies have no pass threat and all Nebraska has to do is lock down the run game. And you know they are going to score 40.<br />
2. Iowa covers Pitt. Iowa is at home and pissed. Pitt stinks. Line is 3. Lock it.<br />
3. Northwestern covers Army. You'll glance over this one because its not a sexy game. But the Cats are Top 25 material.<br />
*4. Bonus over - Kansas and Georgia Tech - Kansas is averaging 43 a game, the Jackets 56. Teams allowing average of nearly 30 a game. <b> </b><br />
<b>Upset Alerts: </b>Not so hot last week. Central Michigan and Georgia were both outright winning and blew it. Michigan saved my bragging rights.<br />
1. This is a bold one - Temple over Penn State. Temple is poised to make a national splash.<br />
2. Illinois to beat Arizona State. ASU travels to a late game at the Illini and is coming off a high over Mizzou. Trap game.<br />
3. Ohio State over Miami. Yes Miami is the favorite. Cop out? Perhaps. Pun intended, sorry Hurricane fan.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-41942188444788424172011-09-06T18:39:00.004-05:002011-09-20T12:11:15.770-05:00View from the HD: College Football V.2011 - Week 1The heavens opened up and angels rejoiced on Thursday as the summer doldrums ended and life began anew with the kickoff of college football. I finally bought an HDTV for this reason.<br />
Now, down to business. Top 10, Observations, Conference breakdowns and Week 2 predictions all found below. <br />
<br />
Allow me to go on record as saying I hate preseason rankings. Ranking teams on last season's performance in anticipation and potential is fundamentally flawed logic. For example, without preseason polls, Notre Dame is Purdue. After last week, who honestly thinks the Domers are a Top 25 team? Forget nostalgia and lets call a 7-of spades a 7-of spades. Not a real powerful piece of the puzzle, but necessary to complete the deck. <br />
<br />
Then again, when in Rome ... so here's what my Top 10 would look like.<br />
<b>1. LSU</b> - Dominated a team that is nearly the same team that went to the title game last year. <br />
<b>2. Oklahoma</b> - They are just flat out good. <br />
<b>3. Boise St</b>. - Hate on me if you want, but Boise has played "neutral site" games to open the last two seasons and won, this time against an SEC team.<br />
<b>4.</b> <b>Alabama</b> - Second best in the the best conference<br />
<b>5. Stanford</b> - Luck for Heisman!<br />
<b>6. Nebraska</b> - If Taylor stays healthy, only Wisconsin can stop them. <br />
<b>7. Texas A&M</b> - Defense is good, offense is better than expected so far. <br />
<b>8. Wisconsin</b> - Could have hung 80 on UNLV. Defense a bit suspect against the tricky pistol. <br />
<b>9. Oklahoma State</b> - They are going to play a lot of 56-27 games, but they are going to win them.<br />
<b>10. Virginia Tech - </b>Slaughtered to 1-AA darling Appalachian State. May rise to the top out of sheer attrition and a weak ACC. <br />
<br />
What about Florida State? If they beat Oklahoma, I'll put them in the Top 5, until then, they are Notre Dame to me. <br />
<br />
Teams on Top 25 radar: Baylor, Maryland, Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan, Houston.<br />
<br />
<b>Observing the Obvious</b><br />
<br />
-My wife is among millions of women who do not embrace the start of football season. <b>Count Mother Nature in with that group</b>. Storms ravished the college scene this weekend causing two games to be shortened and a couple more to be delayed, with the Notre Dame game lasting an agonizing six hours. She's a vicious mistress ... Mother Nature, not my wife. <br />
<br />
-<b>Notre Dame is overrated</b>. Seriously who do they pay to get ranked each year ? The Irish have been irrelevant for years.<br />
<br />
-<b>Poor Tulsa</b>. Their September schedule is something no team would survive. Open with Oklahoma, at Tulane, then Oklahoma State and Boise State. Three Top 10s to start. Ouch. Good news is Conference USA is so weak they could still easily get bowl eligible. <br />
<br />
-<b>Boise State is no joke</b>. They come better prepared out of the gate than any other team. Wins over Va Tech and Georgia in the last two opening weeks, both games held in the opponents back yard. Their resume in the last five years now includes a 61-5 record with two wins over Oregon and Oregon State, and wins over TCU, Va Tech, Georgia, Utah and Oklahoma. Time for respect.<br />
<br />
- I know I'm jumping ahead a week, but <b>Nebraska will lay waste to Washington</b> for three reasons: 1.The Husker offense should have its legs by then. 2.Washington is nothing without Jake Locker and proved that by nearly losing to Eastern Washington. Their QB threw for just 102 yards. They did win the turnover battle 4-0 a bigger spread than the final score, but couldn't take advantage. 3.Revenge! It will be so sweet. <br />
<br />
<b>Conference Break Down</b><br />
<br />
The <b>Pac 12</b> is soft. There is no sugar coating. The only legit team is Stanford who will run away with the title. Oregon has lost to SEC teams back-to-back in their only shots to prove themselves. USC can't overcome itself and barely overcame a watered-down Minnesota team (pun intended), Washington barely beat Eastern Washington, Hawaii pounded Colorado (the WAC's only win on the week) and Oregon State lost to Sacramento State, who I didn't even know had a team. <br />
<br />
The <b>SEC</b> is typically known as a defensive stalwart, but don't expect a ton of 20-10 games this year. The conference put up an average of over 40 points per game, and that includes two teams that put up less than 15 points. Three teams put up 50+. <br />
<br />
Say what you want abut the much maligned <b>Big XII</b>, but the 10-team league escaped week one undefeated. That being said, this includes wins over overrated TCU, Eastern Kentucky, Northern Iowa and Miami-OH by a combined 17 points. The gap from top to bottom is immense, and Texas fits somewhere in the middle, despite their off-season entitlement complex. <br />
<br />
The <b>Big Ten</b> started out the season strong going 10-2. The schedule however was weak. Northwestern (win) and Minnesota (loss) were the only two teams to play BCS-caliber opponents. Michigan State and Illinois were underwhelming and Indiana lost to Ball State. But the conference is top heavy and has two or three teams that have a shot at the BCS if they don't get in each other's way. <br />
<br />
The other undefeated conference in week one was the <b>Big East</b>. The flagship win was South Florida at Notre Dame but few people think a true contender will arise this year. West Virginia should have no problem representing in the BCS this year.<br />
<br />
<b>Predictions - </b>My favorite part of the blog<br />
<b>High Score for the week: </b>Last week's winning team was Virginia Tech with 66. <br />
This week's prediction: <b>Wisconsin</b>, at home against Oregon State. Florida State and Stanford also both candidates. <br />
<b>Locks: </b><br />
1. Oklahoma State vs. Arizona over. Nick Foles will carve a defense already made of Swiss and the Cowboy offense is good for 45 points at minimum.<br />
2. Wisconsin over Oregon State - and I don't care if the spread is 100. <br />
3. Houston over North Texas. Keenum to Carrier is a Top 5 battery in college football. <br />
<b>Upset Alerts</b><br />
1. Central Michigan over Kentucky. Scoring 14 points against a team that has won 4 games in three 1-A seasons? Not good enough Wildcats.<br />
2. Georgia over South Carolina. Georgia got much better prep for week two than the Cocks did. <br />
3. More - Michigan over ND, Utah over USC, Middle Tenn covers Georgia Tech.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-64811264002394245972011-08-30T22:32:00.002-05:002011-10-08T09:57:41.134-05:00Tim Tebow is Chuck NorrisTim Tebow has barely played a handful of games in professional football and he's already both one of the most popular and most hated figures in sports. The fact that his jersey sales have slipped from No. 1 to No. 10 made top headline news on Yahoo.com. He is an enigma, a Tyler Derden of sorts ... looked on as a mythological level savior to some and a destructive waste of good intentions to others. I personally like the kid, but as Denver fan, I weep for his roster spot. This is insanity, and given that manic love/hate opinion every seems to have, I present a bi-polar Chuck Norris style breakdown of the good, the bad and the funny that is ... Tim Tebow. <br />
<br />
<u><i>Feel free to add your own in the comment section below.</i></u> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r6gKPSs91c4/Tl2ULWuK5yI/AAAAAAAAACA/qtTNqUYyF9k/s1600/tim_tebow_pictures9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r6gKPSs91c4/Tl2ULWuK5yI/AAAAAAAAACA/qtTNqUYyF9k/s320/tim_tebow_pictures9.jpg" width="213" /></a>For the supporters: <br />
<br />
-Tim Tebow can physiologically give 110%<br />
-Infinity was invented to describe Tim Tebow's AQ - Awesome Quotient. <br />
-Tim Tebow can actually throw a football over a mountain. <br />
-Jesus wears a WWTTD bracelet.<br />
-Tim Tebow would give you the shirt off his back, even if he wasn't wearing one.<br />
-Florida is considering renaming the mascot the Fightin Tebows. <br />
-The Denver Broncos chose their colors because they knew Tebow looked good in orange and blue. <br />
-Tim Tebow bleeds charisma, and Gatorade.<br />
-Tim Tebow is so fast he can throw a 60-yard touchdown to himself. <br />
-The Florida Gator media guide is now divided into eras ... BTT and ATT. <br />
-George Clooney thinks Tim Tebow is sexy. <br />
-Tim Tebow could correct ALL my grammatical errors. <br />
<br />
For the haters: <br />
<br />
-Tim Tebow has never seen the broad side of a barn ... neither have any of his passes. <br />
-Michael Jordan taught Tim Tebow how to throw a football. Tebow taught Jordan how to hit a baseball.<br />
-If Brady Quinn broke his shoe lace, Tim Tebow has a third string to give him. <br />
-Tim Tebow has a fantasy football team, er should I say a fantasy of a career on a football team.<br />
-Piers Morgan just X'd Tim Tebow. <br />
-Tebow's Heisman trophy has a more fluid throwing motion.<br />
-Tebow does have a future in Denver ... as an enforcer for the Avalanche. <br />
-And you thought Matt Leinart peaked in college ... <br />
-Eric Crouch will get more playing time on a professional football team this year. <br />
-Tim Tebow has had so many concussions already that he has "50 First Dates" syndrome. He wakes up every day not remembering that he sucks. <br />
-The only Target Tebow will hit is to pick up groceries.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-66223203469393607432011-07-03T12:25:00.000-05:002011-07-03T12:25:47.091-05:00Redemption tastes like ... hotdogs!Screw Daniel Tosh and his Web Redemptions, I had the pleasure of realizing a real life one yesterday, courtesy of my current employer.<br />
<br />
Some of you have heard the first part of this story, but for those who haven't, here goes.<br />
<br />
I use to work for the Omaha Country Club in college. During my tenure, the club hired a new general manager, Luigi. None of us really like him. He ran the ship like Mussolini and with cutting precision. He was balding on the crown of his head, shorter stature and child bearing hips. He had a thick accent that was Italian to the core, and not the goomba Jersey Shore Italian, the Latin, somewhat French wanna-be Italian. He spoke with a smooth, condescendingly velvet dialect, smug without justification. And though he had to look up to most people, working with Luigi you always felt talked down to, which is a fantastic work environment, especially at a place like the Omaha Country Club, where you got enough of that attitude from the members.<br />
<br />
As you can imagine all of this sat really well with a kid like me who had been in trouble for insubordination before even knowing what the word meant. One day Luigi was being overtly commanding and he kindly instructed me to bring him his lunch and some water. Being the smart mouth I was at that time, and my tolerance with this man boiling over, I looked at him and said "You know what Luigi, one of these days I'm going to be rich. And when I am, I'm going to come get a membership at this club, just so you have to serve me!"<br />
He looked "down" at me with the most boorish tone and snapped, "I will never serve you."<br />
<br />
Fast forward about a decade to last night. My employer created a fantastic family picnic event for all of its employees, complete with a barbeque-esque food spread, tons of kids activities, Hall of Fame major league baseball players, raffles, giveaways and tickets to the Home Run Derby. One of the many reasons I love my job, but I digress. The event was masterfully orchestrated by plan!tomaha, and went off without a hitch.<br />
<br />
After getting my wife and kids loaded up with dinner I walked over to the food line again to get mine. When who should catch my eye, but my former boss, Luigi. Same reflective dome, same arrogant attitude, very very different attire. I'm sure he is a catering director or something for plan!tomaha, but the stained white polo and khakis likely overpriced for the occasion we're an ironic outfit from the double-breasted over-compensation power suits I was use to seeing him wear.<br />
<br />
I'm sure that he didn't recognize me from my insignificance a decade ago and I bet he is still trying to figure out how the heck this stranger knew his name, but imagine my satisfaction when I exclaimed, "Hey Luigi, we're out of hotdogs!"<br />
<br />
I got served.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-41040586919314753402011-06-16T21:43:00.002-05:002011-06-17T08:43:44.335-05:00Pryor Bailout More of a Cop OutLet's first get this out of the way, the NCAA is fundamentally flawed. I'm not exactly breaking news here, but the Ohio State, USC, Auburn and Tennessee issues are a small bit of a much bigger problem of a machine that uses athletes as free marketing workhorses to generate millions of dollars for universities and the NCAA itself while handcuffing them and questioning every dime in the kid's pockets. Yes, I know that most athletes get a paid education, but if a Division II school like the one I attended can find a way to pay me $450 a month to be the Sports Editor, a position that I promise generated no revenue for the university, then there has to be a way to compensate athletes for their dedication, work and profitability. I'll get off that soapbox now and move on to the topic at hand.<br />
<br />
Terrelle Pryor is leaving Ohio State. He's not going to stick it out. He's not going to see this adversity through. He's not going to try to bring glory back to his university and prove that he and he teammates can come out of this winners. He's not saying I'm going to take my lumps and stay loyal. He's running ... but to what exactly?<br />
<br />
Sure he'll be available for the National Football Leagues supplemental draft, but who's making that phone call. Who is sticking their neck out to say we want a quitter and a habitual line crosser. We want a guy who throws his fellow athletes and coaches under the bus for a few bucks and a handful of nice cars. We want a guy who hasn't ever won a game that has really meant anything. Blasphemy, you say? Let's review.<br />
<br />
Pryor was brought into Ohio State to win a national championship. Period. Three years later, Cam Newton has one, in one season with Auburn. Thing is, the 2010 was tailor made for the Buckeyes to win it all. Ohio State was <i>supposed </i>to win last year. Anything else has to be considered a failure.<br />
<br />
After a Marshall stomping, they had to get by a then-ranked No. 12 Miami team that turned out to be a fraud, then danced their way through a bunch of Big Ten sugar plums before Wisconsin, the only decent team Ohio State would play last year, sent their title hopes packing. The two years prior (pun intended) Pryor couldn't over come USC, once getting outclassed, at home mind you, by a freshman, Matt Barkley.<br />
<br />
But being outclassed should be familiar to Pryor at this point. What exactly does he bring to an NFL team? He's Tommie Frazier without the elusiveness. He's JaMarcus Russell without the arm strength. He's Vince Young without the big game mentality. He's Matt Leinart without the cool. He's Cam Newton without the ability to carry a team on his back (and the ring). He's Ryan Leaf without the maturity.<br />
<br />
Okay, that one was a joke, but the point is, what do all those college all-star quarterbacks have in common? None have made it in the NFL, and Pryor has less up side. What does he have to offer a team other than liabilities in talent, as well as character. Who gets a team in this much hot water, is largely responsible for backing a legendary coach into a corner, which led to him lying to defend Pryor, which got him fired (sorry, forced him to resign), and then says sayonara? I wouldn't ask Pryor to play for my flag football team, and we only won one game last year! <br />
<br />
The worst tragedy in all of this is how the Pryor and his boys tore down decades of legacy of their head coach Jim Tressel. Maybe he wasn't the perfectly clean white linen cloth we thought he was, and sure, he could have handled the situation different. Tressel was backed into a corner by Pryor's minions and he did what he could to protect them. He fell on his own sword. However Pryor could not have cared, or at least had no forethought about that when he was exchanging ink for cash, in the various forms.<br />
<br />
There is a certain sports radio host that thinks Pryor is a phenomenal prospect (JT the Brick from Fox Sports). I believe, however that its entirely possible that Terrell Pryor has played his last meaningful down of football. If Pryor doesn't bounce back to make something of himself as an athlete, history will not be kind to him. Nor does he deserve it to be kind. Nice career, sir. Well played.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-29388524114090101162011-03-21T22:10:00.001-05:002011-03-21T22:13:49.069-05:00Weasel Week, NCAA StyleHail to the victors ... those weasel scum.<br />
<br />
Yes, it's Michigan week for UNO hockey, the week that breeds more hate than holidays with the in-laws. And why do Maverick fans hate Michigan so much? Because they are good. Because they are cocky. Because they represent all that is powerful and supreme about college sports and they sure as hell let you know about it.<br />
<br />
And we hate that at UNO, because we work for everything we get. Michigan is ego-driven, brie-eating, executive suite ticket holding, everything an evil empire boasts. Well, excess ain't rebellion.<br />
<br />
As Mavericks, we don't have daddy pay our education, we don't get Mercedes' for graduation presents and we work our Midwestern asses off for everything we earn. It's high time UNO, fans and players alike, show them what exactly a Midwestern beating feels like. But be classy about it. As fans, we don't want to stoop to the M-level.<br />
<br />
One thing UNO won't have deal with is the insanely rude student section that the weasels boast at Yost. It may be one of the loudest student sections in the nation, but it's also the most annoying. The kids' mouths are so full of toilet water that even Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson requested they tone it down before<br />
he brought his grandson to a game.<br />
<br />
After an opposing player's penalty is when it is the worst. Many fans in the country have a chant. "Skate, skate, skate ..." At UNO, the fans then yell "Sit down, hack!" Michigan students go on a<br />
tirade of four-letter words I'd be embarrassed to spout in front of my fraternity brothers, let alone at a hockey game with 6,000 other people.<br />
<br />
Speaking of toilets, a thread on Mavpuck.com, a Maverick hockey fan site, begged the question "Would you rather wear a Maize and Blue hockey sweater or clean all the toilets at the Qwest Center with your tongue?"<br />
<br />
So now that we re-visit our old badger friends, er Wolverines of our former conference,we shall treat them like we did the Badgers. Relentless aggression. Pepper spray on the goalie. Kitchen sink in the back of the net, over and over. Wave after wave of talent, speed, power, skill, not to mention the national shutout leader in net. We've won the last three of four. We punked them in their own building and we've already beat the No. 1 team in the nation, twice. Think we're worried about you rodents? This is a brand new UNO. We are Mavericks. Get ready for the cowbell and unleash the fury!Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-31487016417915065732011-03-17T10:00:00.000-05:002011-03-17T10:00:43.374-05:00What Would You Do if You Were Given $10,000 and You Could Not Spend A Dime of it on Yourself?Being St. Patty's Day, a leprechaun comes up to you and gives you a gift. It's $10,000 worth of gold. However there is one stipulation. You cannot spend a dime of this money on yourself or anyone in your family. What would you do with it?<br />
A question like this allows one to ponder life. This money can surely be donated to charity, you think, but $10,000 will only go so far, and there are so many good causes. How could you possibly decide.<br />
For me, I know exactly what I would do. I would start paying back the generosities that were shown to me in my youth. I did things very backwards in the early years of my journey to finally become a man. I cashed a lot of checks that I didn't earn or deserve. I received many gifts from several of the closest people in my life and never once offered anything in return. I think now that I am older, given this opportunity, I would pay back those I am forever in debt to let them know how much their small gestures meant in me becoming the man, husband and father I am today.<br />
<br />
Part I<br />
<br />
I would start by giving $2,500 to Roger and Patricia Cherry for back rent for the months I spent on their couch, eating their food, and spending too long in their shower. Roger and Patricia knew my situation, but never asked questions. They opened their home to me without me ever asking. Not that I ever did ask, because I was always with their oldest son, and my best friend at the time, Jason. Never once did they ask me to leave, no matter how long I may have overstayed my welcome. Never once did they ask that I pay them for the food I was eating. Never once did I ever feel unwelcome. They treated me as if I was their own. They are truly two of the most genuine people I have ever met and Jason, Justin and Jinae are lucky to have them as parents.<br />
<br />
One night at the Cherry's house, I felt in the mood to write. Everyone was asleep, and it was the middle of the night, and the inspiration struck me. I wrote six or seven pages of a story about a man in B.C. times named Prius. Of course I had fallen asleep and left the story on their kitchen table. When I woke up, Roger was at the table reading it. He was on page five or six when I wandered into the kitchen. He finished reading every word of that story and told me one day I was going to write the Great American Novel. To this day, he is the only other person to have read that story. And yes Roger, I still have it, and yes I have begun to write the Great American Novel. Well, about the first six of seven pages of about a dozen of them actually. <br />
<br />
One Super Bowl Sunday, all four of us kids were home at the Cherry house, which with all the teenage running around was rare. Roger had just come home carrying treasure wrapped in butcher paper. Patricia was making red beans and rice, corn I think, and some other side things. Roger proudly announced he had gone to the store and bought everyone 2-inch thick cut T-bone steaks, one for everyone. Including me!<br />
Now I have been around the world, eaten at some of the best unknown Italian restaurants in underground London. Had world class meals at Emerils and Binion's in Vegas. Been to some of the finest steak houses in Montana and Omaha. But I will tell anyone who asks "what's the best meal you've ever had" that the steak and rice I had at the Cherry's that Super Bowl Sunday remains the best meal I've ever had. Hell I missed the first half of the game just to finish it right there at their white-tiled kitchen table. If I were ever in a situation that I was given my choice for a last meal, my first call would be to them. That meal was about the food, yes, but it was so much more than that to me. I can't really explain it completely, but the fact that I remember it so vividly and detailed is evidence of the impact it made on me.<br />
<br />
I am eternally grateful to them for everything, and this small thank you is long over due, and not nearly enough of a payback.These seemingly small things you did for me out of the kindness of your heart went farther than you can ever imagine in changing the direction of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!<br />
And to Jason, who went on to become one of our most honorable men, serving in the Marine Corps ... My brother, some of my favorite nights were spent cruising in your Mustang and Cadillac jamming to 2-Pac and Chicago. Can you imagine, two college guys cruising the streets with Chicago blasting out of the windows, "If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me ... " Epic!<br />
And to Justin and Jinae, thank your for sharing your home with me. Neither of you complained once and for the brutal honestly that youth brings, I appreciate you for that. Justin, you're a daddy now and you know with my three daughters, it's not a responsibility we take lightly. You're a good man. Jinae, you've grown to be strong and successful so far and I expect nothing less from you.<br />
So thank you guys again. I know I could never fully repay you for everything, but I shall do my best to always pay it forward.<br />
<br />
Part II coming shortly to pay more of my $10,000. In conjunction with this series, please visit the Random Acts of Kindness - Omaha Facebook page and tell us who you would like to thank and why.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-54526521587334398272011-03-15T10:33:00.002-05:002011-03-15T13:43:58.343-05:00UNO Dropping the Ball on Division-I MoveI spent a lot of my college career on Caniglia Field on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I saw dozens of football games over five years there. I saw Adam Wright break the school single-game rushing record. I saw nearly a half dozen future professionals before they signed contracts. I saw Kenny and Taiwo Onatolu TKO their way through another season. Truly great memories and things I'll never forget.<br />
Now ask me how many wrestling meets I attended. One. A Kaufman-Brand tournament because my staff writer and brother, Parker Adair made me go. <br />
<br />
And now our alma mater has decided that they are going to drop these two programs so they can better align with the Division-I conference they are planning to join, and of course to save money. So why am I about to write an article begging the powers that be to keep the latter, and not the former? To stay with a "niche" sport and not a campus stalwart like football?<br />
<br />
Allow me to explain. A disclaimer before the meat. I don't know what sports at UNO, if any, make money. I don't know how much, in raw real numbers, each cost. I don't know the details of the deal Athletics Director Trev Alberts made with the Summit League, but the Mavericks future potential situation is not unprecedented by any means. They aren't going to play hockey in the Summit Conference, they certainly wouldn't have to wrestle there or play football there. <br />
<br />
Nothing marked the beginning of football season better than the UNO football team playing that opening game on Thursday night against Nebraska-Kearney when nearly 10,000 people would attend. But outside of that game, on that night, UNO football could never and can never get out of the juggernaut shadow that is the Huskers. For the rest of the season they would struggle to get a couple thousand people on a Saturday afternoon to play Pittsburg State or whatever random school that was in the MIAA that we never got to know. The only other rival UNO had was Northwest Missouri State, but the problem with that was that rivalries need to go both ways, and the Bearcats owned the Mavericks. The support just isn't where it needs to be. <br />
<br />
Football teams require about 100 players (give or take), dozens of scholarships, a insane travel budget, more intensive equipment needs (outside of maybe hockey) than any other sport, not to mention the Title IX nightmare it presents. And if the product isn't having success, isn't drawing fans, isn't making an impact or a difference, isn't a reason other students choose to attend a university, it becomes merely a drain on the school's finances. Sure everyone wants them to stay, but honestly it's not feasible for UNO, not right now, and especially not if the vision of the school is to go Division-I. Trust me when I say that if nobody cares about UNO playing Eastern Washington in D-II, they aren't going to care about playing Indiana State in I-AA. The only argument is that UNO could possibly profit from taking lashings from the Huskers, Hawkeyes, Jayhawks, whatever, but who wants to be "that guy" in college football. And its true that the new Summit League that UNO is rumored to join doesn't have football, but UNO could easily slide into the Missouri Valley Conference (Two former D-II foes of UNO, South Dakota State and North Dakota State now play football in the Mo Val and most other sports in the Summit). All that aside, I understand dropping football and am not really opposed to that move. Its very costly and likely not sustainable at this time.<br />
<br />
Speaking of North Dakota State, they are an interesting case study in moving to D-I. They are what UNO should strive to be in all this. They did it without dropping any sports. The Bison play most of their sports in the Summit, but as mentioned before they play football in the Mo Val and wrestling in the Western Wrestling Conference. South Dakota State did the same. And the neither school has a Division-I hockey program to carry the rest of the department. And oh, by the way, the Bison made the NCAA March Madness Tournament in 2008.<br />
<br />
The Western Wrestling Conference features both NDSU, SDSU and another familiar face, Northern Colorado. Point is these "niche" sports don't always align comfortably with the flagship conference and for schools with wrestling and hockey and concessions have been made to accommodate. <br />
<br />
Yet somehow Nebraska-Omaha can't figure out how to keep a team that has won six of the last eight national titles, including three in a row ... twice. They can't figure out how to keep a team that is the most prepared of all Maverick programs to make the jump. They can't figure out how to keep a team that hosts the Kaufman-Brand Open, the largest wrestling tournament in the country, which features dozens of teams including Division-I powers, over 700 wrestlers and attracts thousands of fans. They can't figure out a way to keep the kids that have brought UNO national success both on the mat and in the classroom. And they want to replace them with soccer and golf? Who's going to celebrate when UNO wins a Summit League soccer title?<br />
<br />
If North Dakota State and South Dakota State can pull this off, why can't UNO? Wouldn't it be cool if UNO replaced Nebraska in the Big XII for wrestling? Think its a pipe dream? Look around the country. Tell me who won the Pac-10 wrestling title this year. I'll give you 10 guesses ...<br />
Unless you said Boise State, you lose! Yes, Boise State wrestles, and apparently wins in the Pac-10. And no, they aren't in the Pac-10 for any other sport. Why not these boys, why not these Mavericks. Why not the Mavericks that have won your more than a handful of national championships. Why soccer? Golf? To align with a league that we aren't even in yet?<br />
<br />
What has men's soccer done for you, UNO? What does it do for you as a fan? They will get to play Nebraska and Creighton on an even level. Sure, now tell me the last time those programs turned a profit, were self-sustaining. Neither is wrestling, you say. Great point, so why trade the history of one powerhouse that brings national recognition to your school for the unknown and impending mediocrity of another, if they are both going to operate in the red anyway.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-13845538206449285722010-09-06T13:52:00.000-05:002010-09-06T13:52:14.105-05:00Week 1 Big XII Power RankingsBig XII Power Rankings<br />
<br />
<br />
*The Power Rankings are based solely on the teams performance in their opening game and nothing else. Factors included margin of victory and performance vs. relative strength of opponent. Has nothing to do with their poll rankings, team potential or talent or how I will rank them in my upcoming ranking. <br />
<br />
1. Oklahoma State – The Cowboys were one of only three conference teams to play an opener against a BCS-conference opponent. Yes I realize it was Washington State and the Cougars only have three wins in the last two seasons, but OSU did what they were supposed to do. They crushed a lesser opponent by 48. <br />
<br />
2. Nebraska – We all knew the Huskers would roll over Western Kentucky and they did just that. They got contributions from all three QB’s and took care of business with a 39-point win, though at times it looked pedestrian. <br />
<br />
3. Kansas State – The Wildcats had arguably the toughest opener against a UCLA team that by most opinions was supposed to be progressively better. Kansas State took the lead early in the third quarter and hung on hanging a nail late in the game. Defending Big XII running back Daniel Thomas ran for 235 as the Wildcats put the north on notice. <br />
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4. Missouri – The Tiger’s rushing defense looked suspect at time in the first half against Illinois put the big play passing defense kept Mizzou close enough with three interceptions and Missouri rallied back with a 10-point win. The offense was certainly in preseason form and the Tigers lack of a rushing game was quite apparent. <br />
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5. Texas – The Longhorns appeared to be going through the motions for most of this game. A 24-point second quarter propelled Texas to a 34-17 win over Rice, a team they were favored over by 28. In his regular season debut, QB Garrett Gilbert wasn’t stellar, but good enough. <br />
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6. Texas Tech – An eight-point win over Southern Methodist is hardly impressive on the surface. However if you take into account that new head coach Tommy Tuberville is sticking with the high octane offense that is out of his comfort zone and that Tech took a 35-14 lead late into the 3rd quarter before giving up some points late, consider it a good performance. Had I put out a preseason poll, I would have had Tech in the top 15 above Oklahoma and Texas, but I’m not quite sure they are there yet. <br />
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7. Oklahoma – This may still be too high this week. The Sooners could legitimately fall to No. 9 in this week’s power rankings. A returning quarterback, an NFL prospect running back and a much heralded defense only managed a seven-point win over Utah State? Oklahoma is clearly over rated.<br />
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8. Iowa State- Austen Arnaud and Alex Robinson showed impressive steps toward making Iowa State relevant again and they clearly, at least after week one, are not going to be the cellar-dweller in the north. Beating Northern Illinois 27-10 was more impressive if you watched the game. The Cyclones were in control throughout. <br />
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9. Texas A&M – I wanted to put the Aggies at No. 6 thanks to a 41-point drubbing of Stephen F. Austin, but they I realized its Stephen F. Austin. A blowout against a 1-AA is nothing to gloat about and tells nothing about the team. Still good win.<br />
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10. Baylor – Congrats on your 31-point win over Sam Houston State. Robert Griffin was stellar in his comeback from knee surgery and led the Bears to three scores in the rout. The defense was solid. <br />
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11. Colorado – The Buffaloes started the year by beating their in-state rival at Invesco in Denver. But Colorado State isn’t expected to be good, and neither is Colorado. A 24-3 win doesn’t tell us much. There is much turmoil in Boulder and the team cannot work through it all. <br />
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12. Kansas – The only Big XII team to lose this week and it hurts me to say that. Turner Gill’s debut didn’t go well although the defense only gave up six points. Problem is the offense managed just a field goal and lost 6-3. The cupboard in Lawrence is fairly empty and things may get ugly for Rock Chalk this year.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-8094540421994455182010-07-02T16:52:00.001-05:002010-07-02T16:53:59.172-05:00Party Time in MiamiMy old journalism partner-in-crime writes an interesting "what if" scenario creating a dream team of sorts for the Miami Heat that would flat run away with a title. Its nice to imagine what if ...<br />
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The Miami Heat are really the only team that could pull something this crazy off due to their cap situation. They can sign three max-salary players if they can get one of those (likely Chris Bosh) in a sign-and-trade deal for Michael Beasley. Mario Chalmers would be the only remaining player on their roster (due to all the other free agency losses). This would allow Dwayne Wade to re-sign (the Heat get a hometown discount on the cap with this one), LeBron James and Bosh to all sign. That gives the team a total of four players: two forwards and two guards.<br />
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As if that wasn’t fun enough, it could get even better for Miami. What they would need to do from this point on is to fill the roster with veteran’s minimum free agents. They will also sign their top second round pick (a total steal) Da’Sean Butler (F) and perhaps their other second rounders Dexter Pittman (C) and Jarvis Varnado (F/C).<br />
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That gives Miami a roster that is starting to fill out:<br />
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Starters:<br />
C-Dexter Pittman<br />
F-Chris Bosh<br />
F-LeBron James<br />
G-Dwayne Wade<br />
G-Mario Chalmers<br />
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Bench:<br />
F-Da’Sean Butler<br />
F/C-Jarvis Varnado<br />
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That is seven spots out of 12. Five more veteran free agents will still need to be signed, and there are some HUGE names out there. Allen Iverson would be a great addition, which would bump Chalmers to the bench (since his time in Detroit lets us know he does not ride the bench). We also know he wants a ring. It would be great to pair him in the back court with Ray Allen. Remember the legendary Big East Final show they put on? They could do that every day in practice. (Practice?) A better bet would be one of those two and then a shooter like Kyle Korver, J.J. Redick, or Jason Kapono (who we already know plays well with Wade, James, Bosh AND even Iverson). The Heat would also want one more guard, and there are plenty more out there. Carlos Arroyo looks good to me. He’s a good point guard and is good in the South Beach latino community. Plus he played there last year, splitting time with Chalmers. It's good to keep some pieces in place.<br />
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With two forwards on the bench already, Miami could use one more and another center since Dexter Pittman is not the guy you want starting for you 82 nights a year. Paul Pierce, Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill are all available if they chose to sign for the minimum. Udonis Haslem is already there (but is an unrestricted free agent) and has done well. Plus he’s the hometown boy, growing up in Miami and playing college ball at Florida. Hakim Warrick would be a nice defensive presence to add in there. Juwan Howard is ring chasing and adds a lot of experience. There are so many players out there, but I think Miami goes for a guy with a lot of experience as a role player on a championship team by picking up Brian Scalabrine.<br />
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At center, the possibilities are also amazing. LeBron could take Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Shaquille O’Neal with him from Cleveland. Shaq loves D-Wade and wants a ring for the King. There are several other options like Ben Wallace, Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller and (Stephen A. Smith’s favorite) Rasho Nesterovic.<br />
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Since Pat Riley has done a good job getting what he wants when going for a championship, and (in this scenario) has landed Wade, James and Bosh, I am going to go with the best possible scenario for the other players to fall into place.<br />
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Starters:<br />
C-Shaquille O’Neal<br />
F-Chris Bosh<br />
F-LeBron James<br />
G-Dwayne Wade<br />
G-Allen Iverson<br />
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Bench:<br />
G-Mario Chalmers<br />
G/F-Jason Kapono<br />
G-Carlos Arroyo<br />
F-Udonis Haslem<br />
F-Da’Sean Butler<br />
C-Dexter Pittman<br />
F/C-Jarvis Varnado<br />
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That’s a championship lineup right there with some good youth backing up talented-but-aging veterans. Paul Pierce will stay a Celtic. (Could you see him in any other uniform?) Ray Allen and Scalabrine will also stay in Beantown to go for that ring they didn’t get this year. That could be a great Eastern Conference final. Of course, one of those teams will have to go through a loaded Orlando team too. Then the Lakers will be waiting in the finals. I don’t know who in the league could match the Heat. You might as well just ship the rings now.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-59839729895106697702009-12-05T01:05:00.000-06:002009-12-05T01:05:21.603-06:00Women = Crazy<strong>The definitive women are crazy theory</strong><br />
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I'm a young man and still relatively new to the marriage thing (just over four years), and yet there are certain things I know to be fact from what I have learned in my brief time on this earth. Women are crazy. I know, it's a blanket statement and perhaps unfair, yet the truth isn't always fair. Women are indeed straight, all-out, jack nuts!<br />
Therefore our responsibility as family men (if that's the path we choose) is to find a good woman that you believe to be least crazy, marry her, and never, never cheat ... ever. Not if you know what’s good for you. <br />
Don't believe me? Let me cite two very high profile examples, which highlights two different subtopics of the now famous (self-proclaimed) "Women are Crazy" theory. <br />
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<strong>Subtopic 1: Cheating increases the chance of finding crazy</strong><br />
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Steve McNair. Need I say more? Now the sad story of Mr. McNair isn't an original story, it's happened hundreds, probably thousands of times before. McNair was highly regarded professional football quarterback for many years. Squeaky image, family man, overall good guy. McNair decided to get involved with another woman. She got attached and believed that she was McNair's future. When the doubt crept in that perhaps she wasn't, she shot him, and herself. <br />
See, McNair had least crazy with his wife. Seemed to be a great gal. Was good at suppressing her inherent crazy, and that's what were all looking for in a woman. But McNair went out and found another woman, one who was inflicted with a severe case of complete crazy. He found crazy, and now he's dead. <br />
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<strong>Subtopic 2: Cheating awakens suppressed crazy</strong><br />
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This one's easy ... Tiger Woods. I'm in no way saying Elin is any more crazy than the nominal level of crazy within all women. I'm also not saying she wasn't within her right to get thrown into a tailspin of awakened crazy. It's his fault ... period. Elin again seemed normal, under the previous stated definition of normal. But when she found out her Golden Boy was swinging his putter toward other holes, all hell broke loose. Did she slap him? Maybe ... justified. Did she trash the house? Maybe ... justified. Did she chase him out of the house with a golf club causing Tiger to crash his car? Maybe ... crazy! See there it is, Tiger unlocked crazy. Now it's going to cost him his reputation, his legacy (to an extent) and more money than and entire production model run or Cadillacs. Tiger may have become the first athlete to make a billion bucks but thanks to his "transgressions" Elin may become the first Billionaire-by-divorce. Way to fund crazyism, Tiger. <br />
I honestly hope the Tiger story ends better than the McNair story. But it's going to be a long way back before either of them will be where they were three years ago. And that goes for Tiger professionally, too. This may change him as a golfer. <br />
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<strong>Summary</strong><br />
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Despite the humorous tone of the commentary, I'm honestly not making light of either of these situations, they are both horrible situations, and true none of us are perfect. But this is the easiest life-altering action you can avoid. It happens, I know. It happens every day all over this world, but if you took the vows, honor them. If you don't want to honor them, don't take them. Unless you want to find crazy. And to those who married into crazy and didn’t know it, well you won’t have to cheat to awaken crazy. It may be as simple as leaving the toilet seat up. In these situations, unfortunately crazy will find you. You can't completely avoid it, but hopefully you can keep yourself out of its way.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-67660666588960637792009-09-30T09:23:00.001-05:002009-09-30T09:29:12.199-05:00Live Wire Top 25 - Week 4 Let's Start OverWe are now a month into the year. We now know much more about who actually are the best teams in college football than we did coming into the season. This is also about the time the first college football rankings should come out. This way it allows for a perception of what the team is now and not carry over opinions of how good they were last year. So this week I will completely scrap all rankings I have done to this point and start over. Shake it like an Etch-a-Sketch and base the rankings on fact of this season. The rankings are based on this season’s resumes so far and even undefeated teams like Houston and Boise will fall as other team’s schedules get tougher. <br />
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<strong>1. Alabama (4-0)</strong> – Perhaps the toughest schedule of any unbeaten so far with Virginia Tech and Arkansas. They finished strong against V-Tech scoring 18 in the final quarter. Alabama has shown the best defense in college football thus far as they held the Hokies to 155 yards of offense only giving up points on a kickoff return and short fields (the longest touchdown was 51 yards). The Tide allow just over 200 yards on defense per game and have only allowed one fourth-quarter touchdown. They have won by at least 26 points since the 10-point win over V-Tech. <br />
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<strong>2. Florida (4-0)</strong> – The Gators have dominated all comers except Tennessee, who was jacked for the game and several Gators may have been sick. Still, Florida has done what it’s had to do thus far with little letdown. Tim Tebow’s injury comes at a convenient time before a bye week. Then the meat of the schedule begins. Florida avoids Alabama until the SEC Championship. They have about the same schedule strength of Texas at this point and have had bigger wins. <br />
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<strong>3. Texas (4-0) –</strong> Winning by an average score over 49-15 in four games so far. There is a serious lack of competition and Texas started out slow against both Wyoming and Texas Tech. Tech is their only quality win. Meetings against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will improve their stock. <br />
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<strong>4. Boise State (4-0) –</strong> Boise has flat dominated ever opponent like no other team so far this season. They frustrated a good Oregon team to the point of boiling over and have thrashed Miami (OH), Fresno and Bowling Green since. Question is, where does their strength of schedule and dominance rank in relation to say, Houston? The answer is another question … who would win if the two played? I say Boise, so they get the nod.<br />
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<strong>5. Houston (3-0) -</strong> With two wins over upper-echelon Big XII opponents should not be overlooked. They came from behind to beat Texas Tech but make no mistake, they controlled Oklahoma State. Nobody as good remains on the schedule, so they will fall but right now this is where they are. <br />
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<strong>6. Virginia Tech (3-1) –</strong> Give Virginia Tech a ton of credit for their opening four games. Three ranked teams (Alabama, Nebraska and Miami) and no I-AA schools give V-Tech legitimacy. Sure Nebraska dominated them, but they found a way. This is a really good team with the girth of it’s schedule behind it. A BCS game is almost a given this year. <br />
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<strong>7. Ohio State (3-1) –</strong> I’ll give Ohio Stat some leeway for the Navy game because they were looking to USC and Navy is hard to scheme against. Two shutouts against Toledo and Illinois, who supposedly had good offenses, is very impressive. I actually do think Ohio State is better than USC, they just have this Trojan cloud over them. They will bounce back and probably win the Big 10. <br />
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<strong>8. TCU – (3-0)</strong> It was a good challenge for TCU to go to Clemson and get that win. It was also the only game to lend any credence to TCU’s schedule at this point. It’s pretty weak overall and they have offense issues. <br />
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<strong>9. Cincinnati (4-0) –</strong> Respectable opponents thus far in Rutgers, Fresno State and going to Oregon State. They aren’t blowing people out (except for SE Missouri State) but they just keep winning, 14 of their last 15 regular season games in fact. <br />
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<strong>10. USC – (3-1)</strong> This team is just so young. They aren’t mature enough to know who they are. Perennially good defensively, but the offense is lost at best. They will get better as the season goes, but expect another loss. <br />
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<strong>11. Oklahoma State (3-1)</strong> – This is still a very good Cowboy team and will compete for the Big XII South title. Holding Georgia to 10 points has proven more impressive as the year goes on. However they aren’t good enough to look past teams like Houston. The round robin between Texas, Oklahoma and the Cowboys will determine the Big XII representative in the BCS and perhaps the title. <br />
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<strong>12. Iowa (4-0) -</strong> A really shaky start against a very good I-AA Northern Iowa team was a bad sign. But the Hawkeyes have responded with a thumping of rival Iowa State, a sound win over a good Arizona team and a clutch last quarter domination of Penn State. They get Michigan at home October 10. <br />
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<strong>13. Oklahoma (2-1) –</strong> Tremendous defensive team with a great barometer game coming up this week against Miami. I think Oklahoma is a better team than Miami and we shall see. This game is very important to the pecking order of this ranking. <br />
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<strong>14. Nebraska (3-1) –</strong> The Huskers have whacked a trio of Sun Belt teams by a total margin of 142-12. They had the game won against Virginia Tech and couldn’t close. That may be a result of a head coach with less than two years under his belt. Say Nebraska wins they game they are a Top-10 team. As it is, they aren’t mature enough yet. The test at Missouri will say a lot about it the Huskers can win on the road. I do, however expect them to win by two scores. <br />
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<strong>15. Michigan (4-0) –</strong> Michigan has found itself in several too-close-for-comfort games already. They should have lost to Notre Dame, they should have lost to Indiana, but they didn’t. This team has grown up a lot since last year. <br />
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<strong>16. South Florida (4-0) – </strong>Very under the radar unbeaten team and especially since their win over Florida State wasn’t on national television, but trust that South Florida dominated that game. They held a Florida State team that hung 54 on BYU to just seven points. October 15 will tell us who the better team is, the Bulls or Cincinnati. There were a couple I-AA teams on the early schedule but South Florida suffers from Boise State syndrome. Nobody will play them because they are afraid of getting beat. <br />
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<strong>17. Georgia (3-1) –</strong> Likely the most grueling first five games of anyone, all BCS opponents, two of which were ranked in the Top 5. I think Georgia fans will take 3-1 after playing Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Arizona State and South Carolina. No cupcakes here. And it’s for that reason I believe the Bulldogs will beat LSU this week. Don’t believe me? Vegas does, they have Georgia by 3 in the early line. <br />
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<strong>18. LSU (4-0) –</strong> I am not impresses with LSU thus far. Credit their defense for one of the strongest goal line stands to beat Miss. State, but they should never have been in that position. They also struggled with a very average Washington team and have yet to score more than 31 points in any game. Two losses at Georgia and against Florida are coming. <br />
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<strong>19. Auburn (4-0) –</strong> I think Auburn is very under rated so far this year. They have won every game by double digits winning by an average of 21 points, which includes a win over West Virginia. Their lowest team total so far is 37 points. Defense is a big question and historically a lack of defense spells bad news in the SEC. But they blew out the Miss. State team that nearly beat LSU last week. Auburn has yet to play on the road. <br />
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<strong>20. Wisconsin (4-0) –</strong> The Badgers have only one double-digit win against Wofford. Thin wins over Northern Ill., Fresno and Michigan State don’t mean much. It does mean this team knows how to hold on to victory. Ohio State will be a true barometer. <br />
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<strong>21. Oregon (3-1) -</strong> The Ducks have bounced back as well as a team could have after the debacle at Boise State. They have gotten progressively better after fighting off Purdue, they ended off the nation’s longest losing streak in beating Utah and then they turned around a laid waste to Cal. The Ducks are on the rise, but how high?<br />
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<strong>22. Miami (2-1) –</strong> Over-hyped Miami failed badly last week against Virginia Tech. Still their schedule has had all ranked opponents thus far and Oklahoma looms. The really only impressive win was over Georgia Tech. If they beat Oklahoma, they skyrocket. If not they may fall out completely. <br />
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<strong>23. BYU (3-1) –</strong> A real let down against Florida State. I haven’t seen anyone be able to explain that loss. This is another team I can’t really tell how good they are. They beat Oklahoma, and lose to the Seminoles. Looks like the only way we’ll find out is when they play TCU on Oct. 24. <br />
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<strong>24. Kansas (4-0) –</strong> Congrats on going unbeaten against Northern Colorado, UTEP, Duke and Southern Miss. I’m pretty sure over half the country could do that. When you play someone worth mentioning I’ll give some respect. <br />
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<strong>25. Cal (3-1) –</strong> This is what happens when you open with Maryland, Eastern Washington and Minnesota. When you face a real foe who is already battle-tested, you get smacked in the mouth. We’re the Bears looking ahead to USC? It doesn’t matter now their national title hopes are likely dashed. <br />
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<strong>Teams on the Cusp:</strong><br />
<strong>Notre Dame (3-1) –</strong> Three-point wins over Michigan State and Purdue aren’t going to give Charlie Weis any job security. And a loss a year ahead of schedule against Michigan wasn’t good. So what makes Notre Dame even a Top 25 consideration, a 35-0 point win over Nevada? Hey, better than Missouri did. <br />
<strong>South Carolina (3-1) –</strong> South Carolina has won two close battles with NC State and Ole Miss, and lost one close game at Georgia. South Carolina maybe under rated. Their barometer games are later in the year with Alabama on Oct. 17 and Florida in November. <br />
<strong>Missouri (4-0) –</strong> Quite possibly the messiest track to undefeated in the country. They are 4-0 over Division I teams that are a combined 2-8 and a I-AA team. Not only that but they had to rally to beat Bowling Green and were losing 13-12 to winless Nevada in the third quarter. <br />
<strong>Georgia Tech (3-1) –</strong> Georgia Tech doesn’t know how good it is, and therefore neither do we. They look sort of inconsistent with a close game against Clemson, a blow-out loss to Miami and a very solid win over over-rated North Carolina. I still don’t know what the Jackets are. Next three against Mississippi State, Florida State and Virginia Tech and we’ll find out. <br />
<strong>Penn State (3-1) –</strong> Another bad, bad loss to Iowa. Penn State could not close, they could not score and I do not understand what about this team has impressed anyone so far. What, were they looking ahead to Illinois? They can’t score more than 31 against Temple and Akron? Look at it by raw numbers and forget their preseason ranking. What about this team says Top 25?<br />
<strong>Ole Miss (2-1) –</strong> When Mississippi beat Florida last year they got a ton of national love. Why? Upsets happen all the time (see Washington). They lost four games last year. FOUR! Now they lose to South Carolina and they haven’t beaten anyone. In all honesty, this is not a Top 25 team right now. Watch Alabama beat them by 20 in two weeks. <br />
<strong>Utah (3-1) –</strong> Has not beaten good teams and have not won by more than 18 and that was against Utah State. Their only test they lost against Oregon. <br />
<strong>UCLA (3-0) –</strong> The only team in the Pac-10 without a loss. Who would have thought that? Only three games with the most notable win at Tennessee. They struggled more than they should have against Kansas State and the Bruins are only scoring 25 points per game against weak competition. <br />
<strong>Stanford (3-1) –</strong> Their only loss is on the road at Wake Forest and their most recent win was convincing against a trendy Washington team. If the Cardinal knocks of undefeated UCLA this week, even the national pollsters can’t ignore them. <br />
<strong>North Carolina State (3-1) –</strong> A 7-3 opening day loss to South Carolina is their only blemish. One dropped pass is the difference between 3-1 and 4-0 and likely a ranking. NC State scored the last three touchdowns in a come-from-behind win over previously unbeaten Pitt. <br />
<strong>Arizona (3-1) –</strong> Easy wins over lesser foes and a tight conference win over Oregon State last week. Their only loss is to unbeaten Iowa. <br />
<strong>Texas A & M (3-0) –</strong> Surprise! The Aggies are unbeaten three games into the year. But you should be starting the season with New Mexico, Utah State and UAB, a combined 2-9. Call me if you beat Oklahoma State on Oct. 10. <br />
<strong>Southern Miss (3-1) –</strong> I don’t think they belong here but they are worth mentioning because they came into the Kansas game on the nation’s second longest win streak at eight games, and they will likely be 7-1 when they face Houston on Halloween. <br />
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<strong>Biggest Disappointments:</strong> <br />
Just when we thought we had new blood in the national championship race we have weeks like this. Ole Miss is not for real and beating Florida last year looks more and more like a fluke. Cal being totally unprepared for Oregon, Penn State losing again to Iowa, and how can you forget Florida State laying an egg. <br />
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<strong>Random Thoughts:</strong><br />
*Sounds crazy but <strong>Colorado State</strong> at 3-1 could enter the Top 25 if they get by a 3-1 Idaho team followed by Utah and TCU. A 6-1 record and wins over Utah and TCU would at least put them into the conversation. <br />
*<strong>Fresno State</strong> may be the best 1-3 team ever. Fresno hung with Boise State for three quarters, had an overtime loss to unbeaten Wisconsin at Wisconsin and they gave unbeaten Cincinnati their only test of the year, failing on a late game-tying drive. They are the only team in college football to play three undefeated teams, keeping alive Pat Hill’s philosophy to take on all comers. <br />
*Four SEC Teams and four Big XII teams are undefeated. The only undefeated team in the Pac 10 is UCLA. Every MAC team except Central Michigan already has at least two losses. The ACC has no undefeated teams left. Middle Tennessee is the only Sun Belt team with a winning record at 3-1. The rest of the conference is 8-21. Clearly the Sun Belt and the MAC are the early season whipping boys of the BCS schools. <br />
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<strong>High Team Score:</strong> <strong>Baylor</strong> at 68 points over Northwestern State wins this week. Honorable mention to <strong>Texas</strong> with a 64-7 win over UTEP. In all the <strong>Big XII outscored opponents 473-140</strong> this week and went 9-1 on the week. Thanks Texas Tech!<br />
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<strong>Upset picks</strong>: We hit the South Carolina and Stanford wins last week and both Texas Tech and Clemson came achingly close to making me 4-0 in upsets. This week I like Indiana over Ohio State, Georgia over LSU, Cal over USC and Miami over Oklahoma. <br />
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<strong>Locks:</strong> Ok, so Texas Tech – Houston didn’t go over, not even close. Kansas didn’t cover and Miami lost outright. Another good week. <br />
This week take the Toledo v. Ball State over, Syracuse to cover at home against South Florida, Michigan State to cover, maybe beat Michigan.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-77392917616708900002009-09-24T13:17:00.000-05:002009-09-24T13:17:01.093-05:00Live Wire Top 25 - How the mighty fellAnother stellar week for the LW Top 25 as two more Top 10 teams fell and two teams on the cusp, Baylor and West Virginia both lost. The Trojans were anemic and it was a bad week in Mormon land as Utah and BYU both lost, but at least they didn’t complete the tri-fecta, because Utah State didn’t play. And a quick note on last season’s Cinderella, Ball State, is a bottom 10 team this year (see below). <br />
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It’s really hard to even pick a No.1 team this week as the top two teams each won by just 10 points over teams they should dominate, the No.3 team ran over another nobody and Cal has yet to be tested. I’m tempted to put Alabama No. 1 as they are the only Top Five team to play a ranked team. This is further proof that polls and rankings should not even be done until at least a month into the season. Given that, here is this week’s Live Wire Top 25. <br />
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1. Florida – Like I said week one Florida will remain No. 1 until I see a reason to drop them. They came close to a reason this week with a sloppy win over the trash-talking Vols. Superman fumbled in the red zone, threw an interception and only threw for 115 yards. But Florida is efficient and their defensive is fantastic. There likely won't be any reason to bump them after this week against Kentucky either. *Florida now owns the nations longest win streak. <br />
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2. Texas – The Longhorns seems bored at times Saturday night in the prime time game against Texas Tech. But they got their revenge from last year with a 34-24 win. Texas has had a tendency to be bored, especially in the first half of games this season as they barely led Wyoming 13-10 at halftime in week two and held just a 10-3 edge at half in the Texas Tech game. No big deal against upcoming UTEP and Colorado, but don't do it against Oklahoma. <br />
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3. Alabama – Alabama continues to take care of business, even if it is against North Texas. A 53-7 win nearly put them as the high scoring team of the week. The only team in the top five to play a ranked opponent is making a case for No. 1. Arkansas comes knocking this week with an offense averaging 44.5 points per game. Let's see how Saban handles the pigs. <br />
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4. Cal – Heading east for an early game is never easy for a west coast team. However it appeared Cal would handle the task against Minnesota with no problem. The Bears jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and the route was on, or so it appeared. The Gophers however pulled the game close heading to halftime down just 21-14 and even tied the game in the third quarter. The fourth quarter however wound up a mirror image of the first as Jahvid Best ran for two more touchdowns, giving him all five Cal scores as the Bears pulled away. Their Pac-10 mission begins this week with Oregon. <br />
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5. Mississippi – Thumping Southeast Louisiana may boost your confidence but it does little to prepare you for the SEC. Their first test comes Thursday at South Carolina. We'll know if Ole Miss is a contender after that game. Outscoring oppnents 48-10 thus far is a good start. <br />
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6. Penn State – It's easy to be good against Akron, Syracuse and Temple. Next comes a revenge game against Iowa. A game that last year arguable cost the Nittany Lions a shot at the title, not like they deserved a shot. The Big 10 is weak and I will think that way until they start finding room in their schedules for someone besides, well, see above. <br />
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7. Boise – Pulled away in a shoot out on the road at Fresno State. It was a very entertaining game to watch as Fresno just wouldn't go away. Boise looks well on their way to a second straight undefeated regular season. <br />
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8. USC - Very tough loss for the Trojans. But this is the type of game they lose every year. A Pac-10 game that they really shouldn't lose and for the second straight year it comes after a hard-fought win over Ohio State. Without their starting quarterback, the Trojans fumbled four times, threw one interception and gained only 164 yards after the first quarter. Thank goodness for upcoming Washington State. <br />
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9. Ohio State – I'll admit the Buckeyes dismantling of what I thought was a good Toledo team was impressive. They held the Rockets to 210 total yards and just 13 yards rushing and shutout an offense that came in averaging 40+ points per game. Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor single handedly crushed Toledo's defense with 372 total yards and four touchdowns. Ohio State has an easy next six weeks ahead, including five important Big 10 games. <br />
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10. TCU – TCU pulled away late against Texas State scoring the last three touchdowns (five of the last six) in what ended up a 56-21 blowout. The Horned Frogs spread the offensive wealth as six different players scored. TCU has only allowed 87 yards rushing in two games. Big non-conference test against Clemson this week. <br />
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11. Oklahoma State – A closer game than the Cowboys likely wanted against Rice, but they won like they were supposed to. A week four game against I-AA Grambling State this week is a scheduling disappointment for a big time Big XII school, and will teach us nothing about this team. <br />
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12. Oklahoma – Oklahoma's win over Tulsa, while expected was impressive also. Again another non-BCS school with a highly touted offense is shut out but a big boy. No doubt Oklahoma's defense is very good. Two straight shut-outs and only 14 points given up in a loss to BYU lends to under five points per game. The Sooners get a well timed off week which may allow Sam Bradford to get back for the Miami game Oct. 3, a must win for both team's title chances. <br />
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13. Virginia Tech – Lucky punks. Their offensive obviously isn't any good and by all account I was right about Tyrod Taylor being average at best. Virginia Tech got a third of their offense on the last drive and was dominated. That said, they pulled the miracle in the final minute. Good teams do that and this is how the Hokies win games like this. Good luck against Miami this week. <br />
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14. LSU – Its still hard to be in love with LSU. The offense is averaging just over 28 points per game against Washington, Vanderbilt and Louisiana - Lafayette. The defense is the jewel of the program holding their last two opponents to 12 total points. Back to back losses may be inevitable in upcoming games against Georgia and Florida. <br />
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15. Cincinnati – The Bearcats went a long way to play Oregon State in Corvallis, and came out with a 10-point win and an ever growing case for national respect. A high-scoring affair with Fresno State looms this week before Big East play resumes. <br />
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16. Miami – One of the most impressive uprisings of a team thus far in the year. Jacory Harris is playing like he's on a mission and if the Hurricanes can get by Virginia Tech (which I think they will) and Oklahoma (which I don't think they will) the U has a claim to the title. However the season is a long grind and these aren't the only teams Miami has to worry about. <br />
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17. Houston – A week off before another Big XII shootout with Texas Tech. Do not miss this game and do not blink!<br />
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18. BYU – An absolute thrashing of the Cougars by a Florida State who may or may not be Top 25 material. Five turnovers and red zone defense inefficiency led to their demise. Still a good team, but no longer a title contender. <br />
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19. Nebraska – Another on the road Top 20 heartbreaker for the Huskers. Nebraska had control over Virginia Tech the whole game but could not finish. Are you really going to beat a Top 20 team without scoring a touchdown. I could give a dozen reasons why Nebraska should have won the game, and a dozen reason why they lost. Regardless, its still a loss. However I can't drop them below Kansas because I absolutely think Nebraska is the better team, as they were Saturday. <br />
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20. Kansas – We beat Duke, yippie. Kansas didn't exactly challenge itself in the "preseason" with Northern Colorado, UTEP and Duke, a fact that may hurt them later. But they also have the advantage of easing into the Big XII season with Iowa State and Colorado after another no-brainer this week against Southern Miss. We won't really know what the Jayhawks are made of until late October against Oklahoma. <br />
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21. Georgia Tech – Miami figured out Georgia Tech's triple option and made them look silly. The Jackets got behind against Miami and this type of offense can't often come from behind. I do think, however that G-Tech will beat North Carolina this week. One of these two teams is just pretending to be a Top 25 team. We'll find out who Saturday. <br />
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22. Michigan – The Wolverine Express kept on a rollin against Eastern Michigan Saturday. Rich Rodriguez may have found his muse in Tate Forcier, even though the freshman struggled last week. The running game is good and Michigan's lack of schedule strength will propel them to undefeated heading into October 24 and a date with Penn State. <br />
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23. North Carolina – North Carolina isn't this good. Lets be honest, by the end of the season, they likely won't be ranked. That being said, they took care of East Carolina and if they escape Georgia Tech, they will be 6-0 heading to back-to-backs against Florida State and Virginia Tech. <br />
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24. Georgia – Who would have thought Georgia would have to win an SEC shootout with Arkansas and account for the highest scoring game of the season to date with a 52-41 victory. This is not the early 2000's Georgia team winning with defense. Georgia has put up 93 points the last two games, but has allowed 78. This doesn't bode well when Georgia will get into a defensive struggle late in the season. <br />
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25. Utah – Utah probably should not be ranked, losing to Oregon and ending the nations longest win streak. I debated about putting Florida State here. Utah is in danger of losing at Colorado State in two weeks. However if they get by the Rams, it should be smooth sailing for the Utes until a Nov. 14 date at TCU. <br />
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<strong>Teams on the Cusp:</strong> Florida State, Auburn, Missouri, Notre Dame, UCLA. <br />
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<strong>Biggest Disappointments</strong>: <br />
Here comes the <em>Ball State</em> bashing. After going 12-0 in the regular season last year, Ball State opens 2009 0-3 with losses to North Texas, New Hampshire and Army. The offense is gone, scoring just 11 points per game against some lower tier competition. <br />
<em>Purdue</em> - Don't even claim that you're good and then lose to Northern Illinois. <br />
<em>Baylor</em> - The up-and-coming Bears up and lost to UConn at home. Good thing they have Northwestern State and Kent State next. <br />
<em>BYU</em> - The point was made above, but really, losing at home to Florida State by 26. Sheesh... <br />
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<strong>Random Thought: Homer warning!</strong><br />
You don't think these polls are ridiculous, check this week out. The AP Poll has Washington ranked above Nebraska. So what, Washington beat a washed out USC team that was likely overrated to begin with and now they get all this love. Their next loss is right around the corner. Both polls have Kansas above Nebraska and the USA Today poll has Missouri above Nebraska. Does anyone really think that Kansas, Washington and Missouri could beat the Huskers ... really? Nebraska could likely beat LSU, Ohio State, BYU, and Georgia who are all ranked above them, and give us Virginia Tech in a seven game, we win the series in six. But football is one game and one game only. Bring it every week. <br />
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<strong>High Team Score</strong>: South Florida won this week with 59 against Charleston Southern, who has allowed a gaudy163 points in three games. Poor guys. My pick Ole Miss came close with 52. <br />
This week I'll take Oklahoma State as a team and Houston v. Texas Tech as a game. <br />
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<strong>Upset picks:</strong> Toledo and Tulsa did nothing last week in my upset alert, but I called Utah losing to Oregon Syracuse beating Northwestern, and Nebraska at least covered. <br />
This week look at Texas Tech beating Houston, South Carolina may take down untested Ole Miss, Clemson over TCU and Stanford over Washington. <br />
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<strong>Locks:</strong> Kansas and Iowa came through, Florida and Baylor did not. <br />
This week take the Texas Tech v. Houston over, even if it's 100. Take Kansas again at home, Auburn over Ball State, Miami over Virginia Tech even in Blacksburg.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-62925322700849705682009-09-17T10:05:00.000-05:002009-09-17T10:05:00.663-05:00Live Wire Top 25 - Week 2 "Humble Pie"It seems a big slice of humble pie is in order as it was not a good week for Live Wire Top 10 teams or Teams on the Cusp. It just goes to show all the research and intuition in the world is no substitute for lining the teams up and letting them play. Kudos to teams like Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Ohio State for taking on upper tier competition to make week one and two exciting for the fans while teams like Florida, Texas, Penn St. and Cal practiced their way to 2-0 thus far. The only problem with aggressive scheduling is that the former teams now have a loss detrimental to any national championship hopes and the ladder teams are still perfect. Will this development lead to a regress of scheduling? <br />
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So here is the Live Wire Top 25 for this week. I punish teams for winning ugly, so LSU, Utah and North Carolina all fall while Oregon State and Northwestern fall out. <br />
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<strong>1. Florida</strong> – In a week two walk-through against Troy, Tebow broke out with four touchdown passes and one rushing as the Gators racked up 663 total yards. The first two games were a mere warm-up for Florida as they look to shut Lane Kiffin’s mouth this week against Tennessee. Urban Myer isn’t expected to call off the dogs in what could be another 50+ point blowout. <br />
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<strong>2. Texas</strong> – The Longhorns apparently didn’t take Wyoming seriously in the first half, taking just a three-point lead into halftime. But then Mack Brown reminded McCoy and the boys that they were playing WYOMING and Texas outscored them 28-0 in the second half to win going away. Texas should have no problem this week in a revenge game against a depleted Texas Tech team. <br />
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<strong>3. Alabama</strong> – I’m not convinced that Alabama is this good. A 40-14 win over Florida International where they led by just six at halftime. It certainly wasn’t a look-ahead game as they have North Texas coming in next week. This team may lack focus against lesser foes. Another average performance in that game will drop Alabama below the two Pac-10 big dogs next week. <br />
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<strong>4. USC</strong> – I have to admit that I didn’t think USC would pull this game off. The Ohio State defense dominated the Trojans in the second half and Matt Barkley appeared to be getting happy feet the last few possessions of the fourth quarter. But The Trojans did what the Trojans do. They found a way to win, and credit their defense for keeping them in the game. Barkley is now questionable for the Washington game Saturday. Any one of us could play QB for the Trojans Saturday and win. Let the kid rest and let Aaron Corp earn his scholarship. <br />
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<strong>5. Cal</strong> – Two opening domination wins. Next up a road test at against an average Big 10 team, should be no problem. Jahvid Best is just that, the best back in the country, averaging 140.5 yards per game rushing, and it won’t likely drop this week. Wins at Minnesota and at Oregon will set up the game of the year in the Pac 10, Oct. 3 against USC, the loser likely out of the national championship hunt. <br />
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<strong>6. Ole Miss</strong> – A bye week this early in the season may hurt Mississippi during the thick SEC part of their schedule. The Rebels have three more easy wins before their elimination game hosting Alabama Oct. 10. <br />
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<strong>7. BYU</strong> – Heisman candidate Max Hall led the Cougars to an annihilation of Tulane. Next they host a Florida State team that has to travel a long way at night to take a beating. Florida State will keep it close early. BYU will likely be 7-0 going into the TCU game. <br />
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<strong>8. Boise</strong> – It’s a real shame that Boise’s only other test this year comes this week at Fresno State. It’s the lack of respectable opponents that will keep them out of the BCS. But hey, would you want to play Boise. They do have the best winning percentage of any team in the country the last five years. <br />
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<strong>9. Penn St.</strong> – Every year I debate about my true feelings about Big 10 “powers.” Penn State is another pretender that is a middle of the pack SEC team. The country is in love with them at No. 5, I’m not. Unimpressive wins over Akron and Syracuse make me question their lack of offense. Let’s fast forward to the Michigan and Ohio State games already … <br />
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<strong>10. TCU</strong> – In their opening game of the year, the Horned Frog defense absolutely dominated a bad Virginia team. Virginia had just 100 yards of total offense until less than five minutes to go in the game. They scored two garbage touchdown late, but only had one drive of more than nine yards and four drives of negative yardage until then. TCU had more sacks (8) than Virginia had first downs (7). That said, where was the Frog offense?<br />
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<strong>11. Ohio St.</strong> – I thought, with five minuets left in the USC game this was finally the year Ohio State would win a marquee game. Again it didn’t happen. The Buckeyes find ways to lose big games. The way the Buckeyes lost mirrored the Oakland Raiders Monday night loss a bit. Dominate defensively and have little offense. That also means Terrelle Pryor is the Jamarcus Russell of college football, great talent, awesome potential, poor execution. And despite all that I moved them up in the ranking. Go figure. <br />
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<strong>12. Georgia Tech</strong> – G-Tech showed their mettle in a tough conference rivalry game with Clemson, though they should have never let the Tigers back in the game. Perhaps Clemson is better than we think. For the Jackets’ sake I hope so. Two huge games against ranked opponents loom. <br />
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<strong>13. Oklahoma State</strong> – It doesn’t appear the Cowboys were ready for Houston, though there is no reason or excuse for that. Houston has been offensive napalm for a couple seasons now. Still, to put it in hockey terms, if the two played a seven-game series, I believe Oklahoma State wins in seven, and therefore stay ranked above Houston. And right now they are better than Oklahoma. That may change by year end. <br />
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<strong>14. Virginia Tech</strong> – A so what game against Marshall may boost Virginia Tech’s confidence, but I still think that if they would have beaten Alabama, the upcoming game against Nebraska would mean more. If for no other reason, I believe they let down against Nebraska and focus on winning the ACC, which begins for them the following week vs. Miami. <br />
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<strong>15. Utah</strong> – A thin 10-point win over San Jose State, a team USC beat by 53, shows Utah isn’t quite ready for the big stage this year. This was a much better team last season. A loss is in the near future for the nation’s longest winning streak. <br />
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<strong>16. Oklahoma</strong> – Their loss is in the rear view and the focus is on the future. So you beat Idaho State by 64. My 11 readers could do that. How will the Sooners handle the next five games that include three ranked teams (Miami, Texas and Kansas) and Tulsa and Baylor, which will be bigger tests than Boomer had hoped. Get through that and Nebraska and Oklahoma State await. <br />
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<strong>17. LSU</strong> – Not impressed. 31-23 over Washington, 23-9 over Vandy? Enjoy your wins over La.-Lafayette and Mississippi State, because then Mardi Gras ends. <br />
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<strong>18. Cincinnati</strong> – Lethal offense averaging 58+ per game. Kudos for upcoming tests against Oregon State and Fresno State, but after that, who’s going to beat them. (Of course I said that about Notre Dame.)<br />
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<strong>19. Nebraska</strong> – The Huskers did what they were supposed to do in games one and two. The biggest disappointment has been a defense, especially the line, which was supposed to be dominant. They will need to be much better at Blacksburg (understatement). The first big road game for Zac Lee is a huge test. Observation reports say Lee looks down his receivers too much, which is fine against lesser competition, but not the Hokies. They x-factor here is that I think this game means more to Nebraska than it does Virginia Tech. <br />
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<strong>20. Houston</strong> – Anyone that received my complete I-A ranking saw that I had Houston ranked No. 28. I said the Oklahoma State game may be their only loss. It wasn’t. They played fearless and played to win. I know I said last week that the Ok. St. game may be the highest scoring game of the year. Well the Cougars play Texas Tech Sept. 26. If the line is 100, take the over. This is the last test this year for Houston. <br />
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<strong>21. Kansas</strong> – Don’t let the mere 34-points fool you. Kansas thoroughly dominated UTEP and had nearly 600 yards of offense. Jake Sharp had a huge game with three touchdowns. More domination looms for the Jayhawks in the next month as they play four teams in the bottom 25 of the country. <br />
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<strong>22. Michigan</strong> – Who would have thought Michigan would be here after last season’s 3-9 debacle. But with losses to Toledo and Appalachian State in the rear view, Michigan is poised to run at the Big 10 title. Michigan being good again, is good for college football. It lends a bit of credibility to the Big 10 as it is now a three-team race. <br />
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<strong>23. Notre Dame</strong> – I was wrong. Ok. W-R-O-N-G. The Domers are not ready for the spotlight and the off-season hype and pressure has gotten to them. Jimmy Claussen is the real deal, but I no longer think Charlie Weis is. He blew that game. Beat Michigan State this week fine, but don’t assume Boston College, Pitt and especially USC are wins. <br />
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<strong>24. North Carolina</strong> – A 12-10 win over UConn nearly pushed them out of my Top 25. It was an uninspired football game by a team that isn’t quite mentally ready to be good. Down 10-0 heading to the 4th quarter, the Tar Heels rallied and closed the game with a safety, not something often seen. Any team with a decent offense will give them trouble, say Georgia Tech on Sept. 26. <br />
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<strong>25. Miami</strong> – A much needed week off heading into a stretch against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma (see above) in consecutive weeks. The Hurricanes won’t escape this unscathed. <br />
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<strong>Out this week: </strong><br />
Northwestern, Oregon State. Both had poor wins and don’t deserve the ranking at this point. <br />
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<strong>Teams on the cusp: </strong><br />
Missouri, Georgia, Baylor, West Virginia, Auburn<br />
I would put Texas Tech on this list, but they have to play at Texas this week, which will end their hopes of being ranked for a couple weeks. <br />
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<strong>Biggest Disappointments:</strong><br />
<em>Tennessee</em> – You can’t talk all that smack about Florida and then forget you have to play UCLA. The Bruins aren’t good and you can’t lose that game. <br />
<em>Michigan State</em> – Another team that forgot they had to play the little guy before the Notre Dame game, losing to Central Michigan at home. <br />
<em>Most of the Big 12</em> – Colorado loses to Toledo, Kansas State loses to La.- Lafayette, Iowa State gets hammered by Iowa, Oklahoma State loses to Houston, Missouri damn near loses to Bowling Green and Texas struggles with Wyoming for 30 minutes. Colorado and Kansas State may be two of the worst 10 teams in the nation. <br />
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<strong>Random Thought:</strong> I know we are only two weeks into this thing, but there is a huge potential problem brewing here. Its entirely possible that Florida, Texas, Boise State, Cincinnati, Houston, and either USC or Cal, Penn State or Michigan, and whoever comes out of the BYU, TCU and Utah round robin, will all be undefeated this year. Then what will the BCS have to say. Obviously given that scenario Florida and Texas get in, but what a hailstorm the Pac 10 and Big 10 will raise let alone the other smaller conferences. How many times does Boise have to go undefeated before they are given a shot. The Broncos only have six regular season losses since 2003 and three undefeated seasons, 2004, 2006, 2008.<br />
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<strong>High team score:</strong> Cincinnati racked up 70 on Southeast Missouri State, 49 in the first half. Even morre impressive is Stephen F. Austin’s 92-0 win over Texas College, where two Lumberjack QBs combines for eight touchdown passes. Enter your pick for this week below. I'll take Ole Miss. <br />
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<strong>Upset picks:</strong> Last week I gave you the Toledo win over Colorado and Fresno barely lost to Wisconsin, but covered. Buffalo over Pitt … oops. <br />
This week watch out for Toledo again. I’m not saying they’ll be Ohio State, but they will cover. Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia Tech are all on alert. Syracuse over Northwestern. <br />
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<strong>Locks:</strong> Missed all three. All three dogs covered, which is why you don’t pick against home dogs. Hit the Oklahoma State v. Houston over. <br />
This week, Florida big over Tennessee, Kansas over Duke, Baylor over UConn, Iowa over Arizona.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-5357591510683426332009-09-10T11:24:00.011-05:002009-09-10T14:27:30.673-05:00You've been Ranked!I do not like preseason polls, especially for college football. Most preseason polls are based largely on the team's performance last year and their expected relevance in the coming year. <br />
My goal is to create a poll without pretense. Granted we have only gotten through one game of the season, but you learn a lot about where a team is and where they are going in the near future. I also want to take into account where I assume a team will finish by the end of the season. Given all that, my poll will look a little different than all the others. <br />
First, though a little game I like to play. <em><strong>Which Division I-A team that will score the highest point total this week? Enter your pick in the comment box below.</strong></em><br />
For the record, last week's winner, Air Force, with 72 points. And they did it without a 100-yard rusher, though they had 474 yards on the ground, and just 102 yards passing. <br />
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<strong>To the poll</strong><br />
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<strong>1.</strong> <strong>Florida*</strong> - Consensus #1. No argument here. After a Saturday walk-through where Tim Tebow didn't even play en entire half of football, I won't drop them until I see a reason. <br />
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<strong>2. Texas* -</strong> Another team with a scrimmage Saturday where they could have hung a hundred. Class of the Big 12. With Oklahoma's issues, their only test may come against Oklahoma State. <br />
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<strong>3. Alabama</strong> – Vaunted defense only allowed 155 yards of offense to Virginia Tech. They avoid Florida during the season, but if they get by Ole Miss and LSU, they’ll play the Gators in the SEC Championship. It’s doubtful they’ll escape all three. <br />
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<strong>4. Oklahoma State*</strong> – Solid win over Georgia and an honest assessment of this teams talent puts them where we thought Oklahoma was. If they can get past Texas at home, you’ll see them in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 7. <br />
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<strong>5. Cal*</strong> - Thrashed Maryland in the opener. Lots of returners, one of the best running backs. If they can beat USC, they have the inside track to the Pac-10 BCS berth and perhaps the title. And I think they are better than USC this year. <br />
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<strong>6. Notre Dame*</strong> – The real deal this year. A shutout over Nevada is a good start. Win through the USC game and we may be talking national title contention. <br />
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<strong>7. USC</strong> – Great team but I have to slip them back due to the freshman quarterback. Who knows how he’ll play at Ohio State, but they will lose one of the two back-to-back games at Cal or at Notre Dame. If they survive those, they have a revenge game against Oregon State looming. <br />
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<strong>8. Mississippi</strong> – No problem with Memphis. The rebels are comin’ and they have something to prove. They have to prove they can beat Alabama, Tennessee and Florida. They do that, they’re in the title. They won’t, but it will still be a good season. <br />
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<strong>9. BYU*</strong> – True, they beat a watered down Oklahoma team, but BYU schedule is actually strong enough to make a BCS argument. If they tally wins over Florida State, TCU and Utah, how can you leave them out. <br />
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<strong>10. Boise State</strong> – Impressive domination of Oregon. May be good enough to contend for national title, but schedule will not allow for it. <br />
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<strong>11. Penn State</strong> – The default Big 10 BCS rep if they beat Ohio State. It will be a shame if they play for the title, though because they just aren’t good enough for that. <br />
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<strong>12. Georgia Tech –</strong> Despite five fumbles and mistakes galore, the Jacket beat Jacksonville State by 20. Tech likely to win what looks to be a soft ACC. <br />
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<strong>13. Utah –</strong> Didn’t destroy Utah State, but the country’s longest winning streak can’t be ignored. They aren’t likely to be tested until a November 13 game at TCU. <br />
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<strong>14. Ohio State –</strong> These guys aren’t that good based on Ohio State standards. I’m not sold on Terrelle Pryor. USC is going to win by 20 again. <br />
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<strong>15. North Carolina</strong> – Butch Davis has this team together with an opening win. Schedule sets up well to contend for the ACC title. <br />
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<strong>16. LSU</strong> – Tough win over improved and inspired Washington. Good tune up games before the SEC starts. <br />
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<strong>17. Virginia Tech</strong> – I don’t think they were ready to play Alabama last week. Marshall will be no issue but the Nebraska team coming in on the Sept. 18 has revenge on their minds for a game the Huskers feel they should have won. Miami, BC, Georgia Tech and North Carolina in a five week stretch won’t be easy. <br />
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<strong>18. Oklahoma</strong> – The Sooners are going to fight Sam Bradford’s injury all year, no matter when he actually comes back. They will lose to Texas and likely Oklahoma State, maybe Nebraska. <br />
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<strong>19. TCU</strong> – Easy schedule outside of BYU and Utah. They will likely lose one of those two games, no more. <br />
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<strong>20. Nebraska</strong> – A pedestrian win over FAU doesn’t tell us much about Nebraska. The chances of them beating Virginia Tech and Oklahoma went up but the Missouri game looks more difficult. Two to three losses still look certain. <br />
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<strong>21. Kansas –</strong> Impressive win over Northern Colorado without star receiver Dezmon Briscoe. Soft non-conference yet they will lose at least two of their four big games against Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas and Missouri. <br />
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<strong>22. Oregon State –</strong> A much better team than their in-state counterpart, with an easier schedule. Two or three losses is all I see. <br />
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<strong>23. Cincinnati</strong> – Ran over favored Rutgers. Questions on defense, returning just one guy. Still, they should win the Big East. <br />
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<strong>24. Northwestern</strong> – Towson, Eastern Michigan, Syracuse to open the season is great. The Cats will likely be ranked heading into their Oct. 30 Meeting with Penn St. <br />
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<strong>25. Miami (FL)</strong> – Fought hard to beat Florida State on the road. Open the season with four ranked opponents. If they can find a way to come out of that 3-1 They may be on their way to a big year. <br />
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* Means I believe this team to be a national champion contender.<br />
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<strong>Notable missing teams:</strong> <br />
Georgia - I think when it all shakes out, Georgia will lose three more games and finish the season unranked. <br />
Missouri - Missouri could play their way into my top 25 but I'm not anointing Blaine Gabbert quite yet. <br />
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<strong>Teams on the cusp: </strong><br />
Michigan State, Pitt, Texas Tech, Tennessee, West Virginia, Baylor. <br />
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<strong>Random Thought:</strong> <br />
How does Florida State continue to be ranked at the start of every season. They haven't been good or relevant in a long time. <br />
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<strong>Upset picks of the week:</strong> <br />
Fresno State over Wisconsin; Toledo over Colorado; Buffalo over Pitt<br />
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<strong>Locks:</strong> <br />
USC big over Ohio State; Texas and TCU to cover whatever spread; Oklahoma State v. Houston over. <br />
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For the entire Division 1-A rankings of all 120 teams, E-mail at <a href="mailto:brian.brashaw@yahoo.com">brian.brashaw@yahoo.com</a>. <br />
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Please comment below.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-59753996322069327272009-04-20T18:28:00.012-05:002009-04-27T22:18:57.713-05:00The Sports Spotlight Odd Couple<strong>You were watching what Saturday night?</strong><br /><br />Something happened in the sports world Saturday, April 11, 2009 that may never have happened before and may never again. Two college national championships in Division I were awarded within five minutes of each other. Both the men's hockey and the women's bowling seasons ended just after 10 P.M. Saturday night with one finale showcasing the greatest comeback in history and the other cementing a decade of domination.<br /><br />Although I have written hundreds of articles about college hockey, I have never once written on women's college bowling and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">certainly</span> never both in the same breath, but what I witnessed via ESPN April 11 is something that begs to be recognized if for nothing more than its unique oddity.<br /><br /><strong>Terriers nip Miami-Ohio in thrilling ice war</strong><br /><br />At exactly 10:06 P.M. April 11 Boston University knotted an overtime winner that capped one of the most heart-stopping college hockey games in my recent memory. With less than a minute left in the game it appeared the No. 4 seeded Miami-Ohio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Redhawks</span></span></span> were going to ride the lightning into a certain, yet improbable, title.<br /><br />After not even qualifying for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association semi-final in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Detroit, </span>Miami was let into the the NCAA tournament on the strength of their regular <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">season</span>, albeit one of the last teams into the 16-team field. They knocked off West Regional No. 1 Denver 4-2 in the first round, rode two first-period goals to a win over Minnesota-Duluth in Minneapolis and peaked in a 4-1 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">breezer</span></span></span> over fellow four-seed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bemidji</span></span></span> State to face Boston in the final.<br /><br />Boston University <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">conversely</span> cruised to a 27-6-4 regular season record, losing just one game out of conference. They claimed <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">trophies</span> in the Icebreaker Tournament, the Denver Cup, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Beanpot</span></span></span> and won the Hockey East regular season and conference titles.<br /><br />Still after thumping Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tourney, the Terriers struggled against New Hampshire before Jason Lawrence broke a tie with 15 seconds left to move Boston onto the Frozen Four in Washington D.C.<br /><br />With less than seven minutes left in the semi-final Boston found themselves down 4-3 against an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">overachieving</span> Vermont team. Their goalie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kieran</span></span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Millan</span></span></span> was off his game allowing two soft goals. The broadcasters even commented that if they were Vermont they would thrown any shot they could get on the rattled <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Millan</span></span></span>.<br /><br />But championship teams play up to that caliber when they have to and this Terrier team wasn't about to roll over and play dead. Chris Higgins struck with 6:54 left and just over a minute later Colin Wilson slammed in the game-winner.<br /><br />But nobody saw this coming. With more than three and a half minutes to go Boston was down 3-1 and pulled <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Millan</span></span></span> for the extra skater. Desperation time. The door was wide open for Miami to slam shut with an empty netter. It never came.<br /><br />Terrier Zach Cohen sent home a rebound with 59 seconds left and Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Bonino</span></span></span> scored 42 seconds later to tie the game at 3-3. The Terriers had fought back again to force overtime.<br /><br />It was inevitable at that point. Colby Cohen won the title 11:47 in overtime and Boston had its fifth title.<br /><br /><strong>From Destiny to Dynasty - Husker rollers claim third title </strong><br /><br />While drama was going on in the rink in D.C., the Nebraska <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Cornhusker</span></span></span> women were en route to hardware in Canton, Michigan. At 10:11 P.M. Nebraska turned away Central Missouri State again 4-1 achieving an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">unprecedented</span> third championship in six years. Nebraska claimed titles in 2004 and 2005 also against Central Missouri State.<br /><br />Nebraska cruised to the No.1 seed after day one of the finals topping the No. 2 seed by more than 300 pins. Central Missouri State ended day one the No. 6 seed. Both teams found themselves on a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">similar</span> path to the title as both fell into the elimination bracket early in the tournament. Nebraska won their first match but fell to Fairleigh-Dickinson putting them behind the 8-ball. But they fought back beating New Jersey City and Delaware State twice clawing back into the top spot.<br /><br />Central Missouri knocked off defending champ Maryland - Eastern Shore in the first match but fell into the elimination bracket by losing to Delaware State. They swept <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Vanderbilt</span> 4-0 and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">fought</span> back twice to overcome Fairleigh-Dickinson only to face the Huskers again in the championship.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Nebraska</span> took the first game in the best of seven, but the Jennies tied the match. Nebraska however rattled off the next three wins by 33, 24 and 56 pins respectively.<br /><br /><br /><strong>The overtime made history on many levels</strong><br /><br />It was Boston's ability to fight back and force overtime and Central Missouri's one win that allowed the near-simultaneous phenomenon. I remember watching one event on ESPN and the other on ESPN2 and making the mental note. Has this ever happened? Will it again? Worth noting none the less and one of the simple little things in sports that I'll not soon forget.<br /><br />Sport never ceases to amaze. And while we all watch the spectacle that is college football every Saturday and sit glued to the action of March Madness it is in the Frozen Four in D.C. and the hardwood floor of Canton, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Michigan</span> that champions were made. The teams don't play the same sport and will likely never meet one another, but yet they will be forever linked by the memory of April 11, 2009.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-77488081585405515672009-03-27T21:59:00.014-05:002009-04-14T23:36:41.568-05:00Deep Thoughts of a Shallow Mind<strong>How's my timing?</strong><br /><br />This probably isn't the best time to be asking myself what do I want to be when I grow up. The economy is in the tank, most of us have gotten use to giving our job loss sympathy speech to people we know and many we love and admittedly I've got little to complain about given I have two jobs.<br />Still I find myself still asking the question. And maybe its because I have yet to find a job that makes me feel apart of something bigger than myself and its the only thing I feel is missing in my life. There are three basic things most of us desire from the situations in which we put ourselves. Am I apart of something bigger than myself? Am I a celebrity in my own environment? Is it rewarding in ways that keep me motivated?<br />Taking an introspective look at our family life, how we spend our downtime and how happy our jobs make us will hopefully answer those questions.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>The Family</strong><br /><br />I didn't need any more convincing that there were lives dependent on me, as I am already happily married with children, but on the newborn side of my third child it hits again. You plan, you think, you prepare for everything and assume that after two kids its all routine, but even still, nothing is. You think Zaylee, Emmalyn, Haylee or the favorite Emmalee, then there she is ... none of the above. This eight-pound two-ounce life changing (again) thief or your heart (again) named Ella Rose. After 50,001 names narrowed down to four, its the fifth, Ella. And after honestly giving her birth little thought there I was a proud shutterbug, getting in the way of the doctors and nurses trying to get a cry out of her. Ten fingers, ten toes, and 10 dozens pictures ... no audible words.<br />To say I am apart of something bigger than myself at home is an understatement. All my life I wanted a family to raise and love and a wife to share that with and I could not have asked for much better. My daughters age five, two and new are beautiful and smart and healthy - and in 13 years I'm so screwed ...<br />You know how a dog greets you when you come home ... licking your face, barking hello with a seemingly overwhelming joy that you are home. Yeah, I get that every day from two little girls. They say that a little girl's daddy is her first love. And that's what makes me a celebrity, every day.<br />My rewards come everyday also. Seeing how excited my Kailyn is that she is starting to read and how proud of herself she is that she is accomplishing something that will be forever relevant is a milestone for her and and a joy for a dad to watch. Seeing the wheels turning in little Morgan's head when she is on the floor piecing together a puzzle and how she beams when she does it is priceless. The fact that I haven't had to worry (so far) about little Ella having problems going to the bathroom is a relief that can not be understated, or understood unless you know our previous issues.<br />Every day is new. Every day I learn from them as they learn from me, and I am who I am today because of them. And most of that credit ought to go to my tireless, amazing, selfless wife and her unending supply of love for all of us.<br /><br /><strong>The Tables</strong><br />We all have our hobbies. Some of us collect whatever. Some of us create whatever. Some of us write whatever. I play cards.<br />I have never felt like I was at a poker table that was bigger than myself. I have played in games above my bankroll. I have dealt off debts. I have forced myself to play when I knew I wasn't mentally in the game and far less often I have forced myself to stop when I knew the tides were turning against me. But almost every time I hit a table, I feel comfortable, natural, like the seat always fits me. Even in my biggest poker moment, facing probably the best group of competition I have ever faced, where I should have been my most nervous, I felt like I owned the room. But to the contrary I have also felt incredibly out of place in live bar freerolls that mean nothing.<br />I have been successful at almost every level of tournament play I have been involved with. I admittedly don't enjoy cash games as much but I go into most tournaments thinking myself as the chalk at the table. You have to. Every single tournament I have gone into with a feeling I am going to lose, I have lost. But there's also been times that I have woke up in the morning knowing I was going to win, and I won.<br />But the drive is that I want to eventually find myself in a position that I know to be bigger than myself, at a table that I would be considered outclassed, when there is something major on the line, to play above my ability, and come out on top. And so far there has been enough little rewards along the way to keep me motivated to get there.<br />People on the table know who I am, especially if I am playing well. That's the largest factor in my strategy. I want to be the guy cracking jokes, loosening up the table, being the nice guy, making friends. Because nice guys play bad, poker clowns play loose, and your buddies give you action. I want you to assume that about me. It makes it easier for you to say "nice hand, good luck" when I bust you.<br /><br /><strong>The Job(s)</strong><br />What can I say, the economy sucks. I have twice been a victim of "downsizing." I have worked for more out of business companies that I can count on one hand. I have also applied to work for more out of business companies that I can count on two hands. My friends would say it's no coincidence. Jerks.<br />As I say, I have two jobs, and may need another. You know the whole one job per kid theory. I like them both, but they offer very different things.<br />Being a man who likes sports and games, you can imagine that I also thrive on competition. Which would seem an ironic given that I have worked from home for a number of years. I have no co-workers to interact with on a daily basis. I have no daily sense of being better than someone else and I only know where I stand in relation to anyone else in one E-mail once a month. I need someone to beat!<br />I try to project myself as a celebrity in my work environment by coming up with ideas I think to be outside the box, but probably aren't. I teach that you need to be known for what you do in life. I have a need to be known and respected by the people I do business with. Admittedly it's easier said than done. It's a dog-eat-dog world and if you don't get it done, that guy will.<br />Let's face it, sales is a tough gig, but I am good at it, so I do it. But oftentimes, and especially a work-at-home situation your biggest reward is your paycheck. Sometimes your motivation isn't completely monetary.<br />Is it sad to admit that I feel more satisfied and rewarded on a daily basis by my bartending job? I have co-workers to interact with. I feel like part of the success of the place is dependent on me. I have regulars that would ask where I was if I didn't show up on their night. The happy hour guys, the take-out only people, the blazing hot wings freaks. I know them all. What they drink, what they eat and how to keep them happy.<br />The money isn't nearly as good as the day job, but I love that job, and I'm damn good at it.<br />The thing is that I don't know if I could ever make a living being a great bartender or a good poker player. I don't think the wife would let me try. And I couldn't blame her. I have never been one to look down on anything anyone does to make a living for their families, but I would understand if my wife was a touch shy about advertising that she was married to a bartender or poker player. There's still a part-time "not a real job" type stigma that comes with the bar thing and the whole gambling for a living idea doesn't go over well in most circles outside of Vegas. Maybe the stigmas are my own ...<br /><br /><strong>When do I grow up?</strong><br />I don't remember as a child saying I wanted to be a mortgage guy or a bartender or a poker player when I grew up. Then again most of us never became what our narrow minds said we were going to be back then. I think most of us just want to be known as good people and be satisfied in who we are and what we do for the world.<br />Whenever it is we decide to grow up.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2302525807354701789.post-72486113229667493702009-03-16T23:11:00.014-05:002009-03-17T00:57:29.735-05:00What's wrong with this world - The NCAA Tourney Selections<strong>The Jump ...</strong><br />I must admit it, really. I have already filled out five brackets. Its nearly a prerequisite. I am a male, I watch sports and whether I even like college basketball or watch it or am planning on calling in sick to work next week (which I would never do or condone) matters little. Filling out a March Madness bracket is just as much a requirement of any sports fan as watching the Super Bowl. The true geeks, the ones who have as many fantasy baseball and hockey teams as I have tourney brackets, fill out NIT and CIT brackets ... have a beer or two fellas. Happy hour doesn't happen in front of a computer screen. But I digress.<br /><br /><strong>But here's whats wrong with this ...</strong><br />Even the NCAA seems to not be immune from this economy. Among fears of not making nearly as much money on this 64-game spectacle of diaper <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dandys</span> and super <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">sophs</span> (because you don't play more than two years if you're any good) and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">announcements</span> that major advertisers are scaling back, the selection committee this week was left with a puzzle to solve. How can we maximize the profits on site and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">guarantee</span> a broader fan base for this thing? Let Minnesota in!<br />What do Saint Mary's and Creighton have in common? Well if you haven't heard of either, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">that's</span> one thing. Both are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Catholic</span> Universities with relatively small enrollments. Creighton's is at about 7,000 while Saint Mary's is under 3,000. Both have 26 wins this year, both have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">RPI's</span> under 50, but both were blown out in their conference tournament by more than 20 points and both were left out of the tourney.<br />What do Michigan, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Wisconsin</span>, Minnesota, Arizona and Maryland have in common. All are very large universities with several <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">hundred</span> thousand alumni and a national recognition with graduates and fans spread all over the nation. Oh and none have more than 22 wins with Wisconsin and Arizona not even reaching 20 wins.<br />Yet somehow, despite all prognostications showing these teams out, these five got into the dance. Whats the other common denominator? Money.<br />These large universities with huge national followings and widespread alum have the monetary resources to not only attend the games but spend the money on products being advertised to them during the games their teams shouldn't be playing to begin with. Its not a matter of them being more wealthy than other smaller institutions that were left out, but its a matter of sheer volume. Would Saint Mary's fan travel to Miami for a first-round game? Are there any Creighton alum in Boise, Idaho. I don't know the answer to those two questions, but replace St. Mary's and Creighton's name with any of the five schools mentioned that did get in, and the answer is likely yes.<br />The same answer the NCAA gave to them on Sunday.<br /><br /><strong>I'm not <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">sayin</span>, I'm just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">sayin</span> ... </strong><br />So there are likely a dozen other theories out there that will say why teams got in or not, and this is just one of them. Right or wrong, it's got to be a consideration. In this day and age fights for what little spendable dollars are out there are surfacing in arenas we never thought would be influenced. It now matters not what you have done, but what you can do.<br />One last thing to consider about the Creighton situation. The NCAA is perhaps <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">capitalizing</span> on Creighton's ability to draw 17,000 fans per game by giving them a No. 1 seed for the NIT, lining them up to have three home games. Likely three times the number of fans they would have traveling if Creighton was sent anywhere but Kansas City.<br />It seems to be a sad realization but sports appears to be reflecting society. The less you have, the less you matter.Brian Brashawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03726017850065552396noreply@blogger.com1